Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-178

The woman was adrift.

More precisely, she was conducting a never-ending funeral. Her small boat was loaded with dry wood, from which the scent of slowly evaporating oil wafted. Lying on the wood, ready to ignite at the slightest spark, the woman stared endlessly into the cloudy sky.

Drip, drop.

Raindrops fell on her cheek. Slowly, she sat up, caressing her face. Staring blankly at the lake, she noticed the countless ripples forming on the surface and realized her ritual had ended fruitlessly.

“It must be the start of the spring rains. Another failure.”

Now soaked, the boat would no longer catch fire. The woman began to row with abandoned oars. Her slender yet long arms propelled the boat swiftly across the water.

She had been drifting on the lake for over a week, but it took less than half a day to reach the lakeshore.

Upon reaching the lakeshore, a group of people were already waiting. As the woman stepped off the boat onto the lake, the surface of the water froze with a crack under her feet.

Walking on the frozen surface, she stepped onto land. Knights quickly approached to pull the boat ashore and handed her water and a warm towel.

“Lady Lianne.”

As Lianne wiped her face, a man with a short beard and a rugged granite-like demeanor greeted her respectfully.

“Uncle, why have you come all this way to meet me?”

“As I’ve told you before, you can simply call me Villon.”

Lianne nodded silently. Although he was her father’s brother, she had barely seen Villon before she became the head of the Georg family. Like most of the scattered Georg clan, he had come together only upon hearing grave news.

Villon, a veteran who had even participated in the 12th Dawn Army campaign across the seas, had returned after wandering and gaining extensive experience following the death of his brother, Vio Georg.

Villon had managed to calm various opinions within the clan and treated Lianne respectfully as the head of the family. Her status as a Swordmaster contributed to this respect, as well as a shared desire for vengeance against the Aldeon royal family.

Villon looked at Lianne then turned his gaze to the boat loaded with wood.

“It seems this ritual has failed as well.”

“Yes. The Grail Knight said it was time for Elil to break their silence, but I heard nothing special.”

“That foreign heretic knows nothing. Just spouting whatever comes to mind.”

Over the past week, Lianne had been conducting rituals to petition Elil for an oracle. She performed a false funeral on the boat, fasting and not sleeping, drifting around the sacred lake of Elion, mimicking death to come as close as possible to the afterlife.

This was among the most arduous rituals she could perform, short of actual sacrifice.

Normally, a Swordmaster of her caliber wouldn’t need such an intense ritual to receive Elil’s oracle, but Elil had been silent for over 100 years. It seemed unlikely that the silence would be broken anytime soon.

Elil had not responded this time either.

“Did the angels say nothing?”

“The Lady of the Lake and the wizard Calurien came. They talked about the Aldeon King finding the Rite of Division, but both just advised to carry on and return.”

Lianne had expected Elil or the angels to react differently upon finding the Rite of Division. However, like many rituals before, this one also ended without significant insight.

Lianne continued, as if suddenly remembering something.

“By the way, Calurien also mentioned that since the sacred site of Elion is threatened, we should guard it well. We’re already doing that, but could there be another sign?”

At her words, a murmur spread among the knights. Villon’s stern face wavered slightly. Lianne sensed from the spreading atmosphere that something else had happened.

“It seems something has occurred while I was performing the ritual.”

“The usurper Aldeon sent a messenger proposing peace negotiations.”

Lianne paused before speaking.

“And?”

“Aldeon has united all the nobles of the Elil Kingdom, even subdued Soltain’s widow with the help of foreign heretics! Now only we remain, and they propose peace in such times. What could their intent be?”

“So, you didn’t even talk and drove them away?”

“We cut off the messenger’s head. There’s no need to sully our eyes with such obvious insults.”

Lianne fell silent again.

“You cut off the messenger’s head?”

She understood what that meant. There would be no talks or negotiations between the two forces now.

While she wasn’t opposed to fighting if necessary, showing mercy was also a knight’s virtue.

Villon had cut off even that path.

“And I am the head of the Georg family, am I not? Since when have you been handling diplomacy on your own, uncle?”

“You were conducting the ritual, so we held a clan meeting and made a decision.”

It was a decision not only by Villon but also by the elder members of the Georg clan.

Having said so much, Lianne was at a loss for words. Respecting the elders and venerating the traditions of knighthood, she couldn’t withstand the pressure from her kin.

But while she was risking her life on the lake for a peaceful resolution, these so-called adults were busy beheading messengers. The urge to reprimand them was boiling inside her.

Then Villon tried to persuade her.

“Think about it, Lady Lianne. Why would the archangel Calurien specifically warn to guard the sacred site of Elion if not for the threat posed by Aldeon’s forces?”

The mention of the angel caught Lianne off guard. For her, respecting the clan elders’ decisions was essential, but the words of an angel were like a divine command to be executed.

“The fight is inevitable. If we pretend to entertain peace and our conscripts, whose spirits are not battle-hardened, become disturbed, it could put us in a difficult position. Perhaps they anticipated this and thus mentioned peace negotiations.”

Villon murmured with eyes ablaze with vengeance.

“Under Elil’s blessing, it is time for our clan to reclaim the honor we lost.”

Lianne was no fool.

Villon was well aware that his cruel acts were driven by a desire for vengeance over his brother’s death. He was merely dressing up his petty revenge in the guise of an angel’s command he had just heard.

However, Lianne had no argument to counter his words.

As Villon said, the only threat to the holy land of Elion was Aldeon, who had gathered an army and threatened to return the division ritual immediately.

“Understood. But don’t do this again. I will make the decisions involving bloodshed.”

“I will be cautious.”

Lianne smelled the blood in the air.

It seemed as if the silent Elil was right beside her.

‘Ah… Father said to avoid a civil war as much as possible.’

While Elil remained silent and the angels merely observed, their followers craved each other’s blood.

Her task in the midst of this was not complicated.

To kill as many enemies as possible.

Faithful to Elil, she had decided not to shy away from a war that had already begun.

***

“Your Majesty!”

News suddenly reached Edelred, who was preparing for an expedition. The forces of Georg, who had been in hiding in the holy land of Elion, were suddenly attacking various locations in the kingdom of Elil.

“What? Why now?”

“The knights, in units of dozens to hundreds, are dividing and attacking the kingdom. The Aldeon knights stationed at the border tried to retaliate quickly, but the enemy escaped too swiftly.”

The news troubled the nobles, especially those who had left their estates to come here. Those closer to the holy land of Elion were more disturbed, and when the messenger reported that Georg’s forces had broken through the border estates and reached the central regions, the nobles were even more panicked.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, we need to soothe our own estates first before we can send aid.”

“There’s nothing I can say, Your Majesty, we will soon… as soon as we manage our situation.”

With a helpless expression, the nobles sought understanding and left Aldeon. Even those nobles near the affected areas, though not yet attacked, could not afford to stay.

Even the most loyal knights could not stand by while their families, relatives, and villagers were under attack. Edelred knew he couldn’t keep them forcibly, so he had to let them go.

Of course, by the time they returned, Georg’s knights might have already withdrawn or broken through. Isaac realized that Georg’s forces had used their brains well.

‘It seems they’re using a tactic similar to a blitzkrieg. I thought they would definitely decide the battle at the fortress of Elion.’

They neither occupied nor devastated the estates. They simply attacked the soldiers stationed there, set fire to the mansions, and lightly plundered.

But that was enough to deliver a blow to Isaac and Edelred.

Georg’s forces, with just a few knights, had successfully scattered a significant number of the nobles gathered in Aldeon. It seemed they had induced complacency for this moment.

“…We had the advantage in numbers, but with this attack, a third is gone.”

Edelred muttered as he considered the loss of knights and soldiers. With such a sudden change in numbers, strategies, logistics, and command structures needed to be reorganized. Although they still had more soldiers and knights than Georg’s forces, it was difficult to claim an advantage in quality.

“Still, if this many knights have left, Elion will be empty. Perhaps we should move the army to attack Elion now?”

“Sorry, Your Majesty. The spring rains have already started around Elion. Even if we move quickly, we won’t be faster than the returning cavalry of Georg’s forces.”

Morse grumbled.

“Besides, there’s no report of having spotted the rebel leader Lianne. It’s likely she’s still in the Elion fortress, and attacking it would take a long time, and if we delay, we could be surrounded by Georg’s forces returning from their raid.”

“What about breaking them into pieces?”

“That seems best for now. They’re moving so quickly that logistics can’t be easy. Plus, it’s spring.”

During spring, the stored food from winter runs out, so there’s not much to plunder. Morse pointed this out as he indicated several places on the map.

“First, we should hunt down the Georg knights scattered throughout the kingdom. It’s foolish of them to disperse their forces like this.”

Of course, no one in the room actually thought Lianne was being foolish. It was just bluster to ease their irritation. They still didn’t fully understand Lianne’s tactics.

But Isaac didn’t want to be dragged around by fleeing rats.

“It’s better we head to Elion.”

As Isaac spoke, all the knights in the room looked at him.

“Sir Holy Grail Knight, but if we do, there’s a chance we’ll be surrounded…”

“That means the enemies are rushing after us, chasing us. It’s better they tire themselves out chasing us than we tire chasing them. And if we end up surrounded, that’s when the knights of the kingdom of Elil should rise.”

“What do you mean… Ah! Are you referring to the knights who returned to their estates?”

Even if Aldeon’s forces were surrounded by Lianne and Georg’s forces at the Elion fortress, it wasn’t the end. Knights, angry about their estates being attacked, would be grinding their teeth and chasing Georg’s cavalry.

If they’re hit and stay still, they’re not knights of Elil.

“Then it’ll be Georg’s forces that are surrounded, not us. Being dragged along by the enemy’s tactics is exactly what Georg’s forces want.”

It was like being caught in a sandwich.

Isaac’s words convinced all the knights in the room. However, they still had reservations.

“Wouldn’t our ranks be vulnerable if Lianne Georg attacks us?”

“I’ll handle it.”

Isaac calmly responded.

Having fought with Cedric had been a proper vaccination for Isaac. Although he had performed unexpectedly well, if Lianne wasn’t significantly stronger than Cedric, he was confident he could hold his own.

At least, he could endure without major damage.

Moreover, Isaac had set in motion plans around the holy land of Elion. Although he couldn’t tell Edelred and the other knights of Elil yet, when the time came, it would be enough to shake Georg’s forces.

Isaac moved a boar-shaped piece on the map closer to Elion.

Right in front of it was a wolf-shaped piece.

“The best way to minimize damage is to take Elion as quickly as possible. It would be even better if Lianne shows up. The enemy relies solely on Lianne’s charisma; if we capture her, all battles will be decided.”

–TL Notes–