Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-176-2

“What about pursuing a marriage alliance with Lianne Georg?”

Isaac was momentarily taken aback.

“…I am already married, Your Majesty. Well, the ceremony hasn’t happened yet, but…”

“No, no. I omitted the subject. What if I married Lianne?”

Isaac felt relieved, but his mind reeled in another direction.

Marriage? The king and a rebel?

Then he recalled Edelred’s speech at a past banquet.

“…When you talked about the Supreme King and the dancer in your speech, did you think you were Elil himself?”

Such an unexpected marriage event.

Of course, marriage is a symbol of dramatic reconciliation and a way for two powerful houses to bind together. But in this situation, a marriage with Lianne Georg?

Isaac suspected that Edelred, overwhelmed by his hatred for knights, had chosen the most war-distant option available.

“There’s nothing further up to consider. I’ve based this on a very recent event.”

“Based on a recent event?”

“Mrs. Rosalind. I’ve taken her as a reference.”

Isaac kept his mouth shut, then remembered the dramatic episode about her marital relationship he had heard from Mors. Rosalind, formerly a pirate or rather, a maritime outlaw, who had naturally targeted the island of Saltain as well.

From the perspective of the Margrave of Saltain, the pirates were enemies. However, his son, Theobald Saltain, had enticed the pirate leader Rosalind to become his wife, which was indeed a dramatic event.

“…So you intend to become a Theobald Saltain of this era?”

“Isn’t it a good symbol that peace can be achieved without killing the enemy?”

Edelred, looking weary, rubbed his forehead.

“We’ve been killing and trying to kill each other for 700 years. Especially during the reign of the previous king, we did that a lot and very well. But was it successful? All I see is ruins.”

Isaac also rubbed his forehead.

It was a valid point. Unlike Edelred’s fears, Isaac genuinely believed he could make it work. Of course, it would be bloody, and many would die.

But the only way Isaac knew was that.

So he couldn’t help but be shaken by Edelred’s words.

‘What if it succeeds?’

The reason for the inevitable civil war was because Edelred had to become the master of the Holy Land. However, if the two families merged, the reason for civil war would disappear. What remained was how lenient Lianne would be, and Isaac decided to leave that to Edelred.

Thinking this, he felt a flicker of hope.

Anyway, Isaac needed many knights from the Kingdom of Elil. If the civil war occurred and he lost the knights of the powerful Georg faction, more people from the Dawn Army would die.

Edelred’s choice was also the best option for Isaac.

“And actually… it’s not so sudden. Lianne Georg and I were previously betrothed.”

“What…?! Damn. Yes, that might be possible.”

As always, Nameless Chaos isn’t a game that explains settings in detail. Players can only guess based on the flavor text scattered throughout the game.

It’s not surprising for the strongest faction in the kingdom and the royal family to be interrelated by blood. Especially since Lianne, being the eldest daughter of the Georg family and a talented swordmaster, incorporating her into the royal family was the best strategy.

The problem was that the child betrotheds were now a rebel and a king.

“Of course, it was a story that came up when I was a baby. The moment Vio Georg died and Lianne unilaterally declared her succession without any oath of loyalty, the engagement was broken. But to be precise, I never officially heard a declaration of dissolution.”

Isaac suddenly grew suspicious.

“Do you have personal feelings for Lianne Georg?”

“Why would I? She’s five years older than me. I’ve seen her face a few times, but she seems more like an elder sister than a lover. When I was young, she even broke my teeth and arms under the pretext of sword training.”

Edelred murmured as if his teeth were chattering.

Isaac could tell that Edelred hadn’t chosen this option just because he hated seeing blood. He had reached this conclusion after much agony.

A way to achieve peace without fighting.

‘Could it work?’

In the game, the two are enemies. Moreover, the protagonist can choose one of them to make a king. Becoming king is a one-sided affair. There is no route for marriage.

For Lianne, the Aldeon royal family is the enemy of her father, and for Edelred, the Georg faction is a threatening rebel. One of them had to be completely defeated.

“What then was the meaning of the speech you made earlier and this meeting?”

“I never once said I would crush Georg.”

Isaac was shocked again.

“Had you been thinking about this from then? It wasn’t a sudden idea after all.”

“It’s one of the ideas that came to mind while I was contemplating how to end this civil war. I shelved it thinking it wasn’t feasible, but after going through such an event, I thought, why not? Who would have thought reconciliation with Saltain was possible?”

Edelred smiled sheepishly and continued.

“And what I said then was actually with the Dawn Army in mind. You wouldn’t be helping me for free, after all.”

To reclaim the Holy Land, the Holy Sword, and the Holy Grail, and accomplish the return of Elil.

Edelred had declared that.

It wasn’t just fancy rhetoric spoken lightly; he really intended to achieve it. The return of Elil was indeed the ultimate victory condition for the Elil faith route, but Isaac was surprised that Edelred sincerely thought so.

“The nobles must be thinking we’ll go to war with Lianne.”

“I just boosted morale for unity. If I actually ordered them to fight the Georg rebels, they wouldn’t be keen either. Isn’t life precious to everyone?”

In such statements alone, it was clear that Edelred did not fully understand the Elil knights. When caught up in the excitement of war, the Elil knights would rush headlong at the enemy, even if it were an angel.

In the battlefield, it’s the Elil knights who kill the most and die the most.

After much contemplation, Isaac spoke.

“You’re taking a difficult path.”

“It might be impossible, but extending a hand first isn’t entirely bad…”

“No, it’s difficult, but it might be possible.”

“Possible?”

Isaac nodded.

Of course, his plan wasn’t to somehow create a cozy atmosphere and let romance bloom between them.

His envisioned method was the exact opposite. Harsh and bloody tension.

“This marriage isn’t just about the two of them. I don’t know about Lianne’s intentions yet, but it’s not something that can happen just because the two of them want it.”

For this marriage to succeed, the entire kingdom had to agree.

It wasn’t something a few people’s resolve could accomplish.

“We’ll still need a war.”

Blood and violence forge love.

Affection often sprouts most firmly amidst tension and disdain.

–TL Notes–