Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-191

“Isaac!!”

Edelred ran up in horror.

The knights of Georg’s army, who had been watching the duel, also came to their senses belatedly and hurried over. Isaac lifted Lianne to show that she was safe. However, Edelred, with a pale expression, opened his mouth to say something to Isaac.

“Please be quiet, Your Majesty.”

Isaac warned in a low voice.

“A duel is a sacred event. Unless you are directly involved in the fight, any cheering or jeering from the ‘crowd’ is considered an indirect factor by Elil. You were the first to interfere, Your Majesty, and it was Lianne who was distracted by it.”

Isaac quickly retorted, effectively silencing Edelred. Before Edelred could think of a rebuttal, the knights of Georg’s army had already approached.

One of the knights from Georg’s army, with a complicated expression, looked at Isaac and then spoke.

“Congratulations on your victory, Holy Grail Knight.”

Isaac recognized that this knight was second in command at the Elil Fortress after Lianne and had accepted the outcome of the duel.

“Your name?”

“Lavad Georg, I am the centurion of Elil Fortress.”

Isaac, judging by his appearance and age, guessed he might be around Lianne’s younger brother’s age. Knowing he was reliable enough to entrust Lianne to him, Isaac had left her in his care. They too had experience dealing with many injured, and thus, recognized that Lianne’s condition was not critical.

“Thank you for showing mercy.”

“It was merely Elil’s whim that favored me today.”

Isaac humbly brushed off the praise. Even as the knight of Georg’s army accepted the outcome of the duel without question, Edelred found himself increasingly at a loss for words. Isaac whispered to Edelred as if to soothe him.

“Whatever sweet nothings you might have whispered, Lianne wouldn’t have heard you. But you succeeded in alarming her, so it ended with just minor injuries. In fact, Your Majesty, you saved Lianne.”

Edelred’s expression became complex once more.

Even so, this duel would linger long in his heart. But as the angels say, the world is not so soft, especially not for a completed being like Lianne.

Realizing that even if Lianne woke up, she would say the same thing as Isaac, Edelred finally gave up on arguing.

It was foolish to contest the already determined outcome of the duel.

“I apologize for intruding so abruptly, Holy Grail Knight.”

“Not at all. But thanks to you, it seems things went according to plan.”

“Plan?”

Isaac, watching the receding figure of Lianne being carried away, spoke,

“Blood and violence can breed love. Having received Your Majesty Edelred’s confession in a state of vulnerability and devastation, it will linger long in her memory.”

Originally, Isaac’s plan had been to incite conflict and turmoil only to create an incident that would reverse the atmosphere and foster a mood of reconciliation. Though the intervention of the Immortal Order had twisted the path, Edelred’s untimely intervention had enabled a dramatic event.

It was all thanks to Edelred.

Edelred’s face reddened at Isaac’s words.

“I never agreed to such a plan….”

“Hush. It doesn’t matter how genuine it was. At any rate, we couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome than this. Let us hurry to the Holy Land now.”

Isaac looked around Elil Fortress. He had hoped that the Aldeon army would hold off Villion long enough, but if Villion decided to give up, they couldn’t detain him for long.

Edelred, realizing that their real destination was now just ahead, issued orders to the other knights.

“From here on, only the Holy Grail Knight and I will proceed. The rest of you are to stay and guard this place.”

“Yes.”

***

The knights left at Elil Fortress treated Lianne with bewildered expressions. All the basic emergency treatments had already been administered by Isaac, so all they could do was pray for her swift recovery.

Of course, their prayers were indeed effective miracles of healing.

Even yesterday, they had been blocking the way for Edelred and Isaac, and now they were conflicted about letting them go just like that. But it was Lianne herself who had dueled with the Holy Grail Knight Isaac. Who could refuse to accept the result?

Right before the duel, Edelred had made a remark that was quite concerning, but that was a matter for the parties involved to resolve.

Lavad directed the soldiers,

“Move the general to his room. Prepare water for cleaning the wounds….”

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves thundered from the direction of the main gate, accompanied by a thick smell of blood.

Thud, thud, thud, thud… Heavily, knights covered in blood entered alongside horses that were nearly dead. Lavad recognized the tattered, blood-soaked banner and realized these were knights from Georg’s cavalry. However, they looked more like they had crawled out from the depths of hell rather than returning from a glorious battle.

Then one knight threw off his dented helmet.

“Uncle Villion? Have you returned?”

Villion’s bloodshot eyes stared at Lavad.

Lavad noticed that Villion and almost all of the cavalry were in a strange state. They had come through some horrific carnage, soaked in blood and flesh, with limbs missing and bodies pierced by spears, swords, and arrows. It was a wonder they were alive.

“Is Lianne dead?”

Villion’s voice grated like scraping iron. Lavad quickly regained his composure and shook his head vigorously.

“No, not at all. She dueled with the Holy Grail Knight. Since General Lianne was defeated, she accepted the outcome and opened the way to Elil, the Holy Land.”

Villion was silent at Lavad’s words, then leaped off his horse and strode toward Lianne. Lavad, for some reason, felt he had to stop Villion. Other knights seemed to have similar thoughts and quickly approached.

“Uncle, I’m sorry, but General Lianne needs to rest….”

However, Villion stepped forward, grabbed Lavad’s face, and flung him aside. Instantly, the sound of swords being drawn rang out. At the same time, knights from Georg’s cavalry also drew their swords.

“Stop! Stop this!”

Lavad staggered to his feet, hurrying to prevent internal strife. Yet Villion, unconcerned even if carnage ensued, knelt beside Lianne and looked into her face.

“Lianne.”

Lianne’s injuries were deep, and she was not in a condition to easily open her eyes. Yet, at the sound of his voice, her eyelids fluttered open.

A fleeting moment of joy appeared in her eyes.

“Uncle… you’ve returned.”

“Lianne, let’s make a pact.”

Villion’s abrupt proposal caused Lianne’s eyes to waver. Her gaze moved from Villion to the blood-soaked knights behind him.

She immediately realized that few among them could genuinely be alive in such a state.

And she despaired.

How many knights of Elil had this man corrupted?

“Uncle, what have you done…”

“Now is the time to reclaim our honor, Lianne! Are you content to remain a guardian of the Holy Land, dishonored by the king who killed your father, defeated by heretics in duels, and whose sanctuaries have been violated!”

Villion rebuked her sternly.

Lianne closed her mouth. Villion’s words were true. She had failed in every role assigned to her. But she was not ashamed.

She had done her best, but her opponents were strong. If anything, it was her who had failed to maintain her dignity.

“My father committed suicide, Uncle.”

Lianne spoke to Villion with pity.

“He chose to discard his honor because he lacked the courage to refuse dishonorable orders. And then, lacking the courage to seek forgiveness, he took his own life. What my father truly lost was not his honor, but his courage.”

Villion’s eyes trembled.

“How dare you…”

“And from what I see, Uncle, it seems you too lack the courage to admit that there is no honor left in the Georg family.”

Lianne punched Villion in the face.

With a crack, his nose broke, and his body staggered backward. Lianne tried to stand but grimaced and clutched her stomach. The wound Isaac had inflicted was reopening.

She was not in a condition to move. But there was something she had to do.

Something she should have done long ago.

“There was something I always wanted to do to an old fool like you.”

Lianne struck Villion’s face again as he tried to rise.

Crack, thump! The sight of a severely wounded woman beating a sturdy knight was startling, all the more because Lianne had always been known to respect tradition and honor her elders intensely.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Lianne, sweating profusely, looked down at Villion, collapsed on the ground. It wasn’t fatigue but rather the severity of her injuries that prevented her from swinging her fists any longer. Just then, Lavad hurried over and stopped her, concerned not for Villion but for Lianne.

“General. I will see to it that Villion Georg is detained separately. You need to rest now…”

“Yes…”

The pain in Lianne’s chest was intense as she struggled to rise with help. In that moment, she caught sight of the dagger embedded in her chest and Villion holding it.

Lavad screamed in horror.

“It’s an assassination!”

Amidst the furious cries of the knights, Lianne twisted a smile.

“Uncle, it seems you’ve learned too many wrong things in the Dawn Army…”

“I’m sorry, Lianne.”

Villion twisted the dagger, widening the wound. Lavad shouted and drew his sword, moving to strike Villion, but a cavalryman who had sprinted over kicked Lavad down. The cavalrymen began to overpower the remaining soldiers.

No knight present could stand against these cavaliers, already beyond the brink of death.

“I thought you would understand.”

Villion caught the collapsing Lianne and whispered,

“But there’s no time to persuade you now. Now, I need your sword and the swordmaster.”

***

Lianne’s body completely collapsed onto the ground.

It was the vain death of the swordmaster and the leader of the Georg rebels. Villion felt regret even as he realized he had crossed a line that could not be retracted. He had tried so hard to avoid just such a situation.

Now that things had come to this, he must eradicate the seed of the Aldeon royal family at all costs. Otherwise, all his sins would be rendered meaningless.

“Lord Villion, we have subdued the remaining soldiers.”

“Make sure there are no unnecessary casualties.”

“Yes.”

Villion, now essentially an apostate, still believed he was a follower of Elil. It might have been mere deceit, but even as an undead, he would continue to believe. To him, faith was not about heaven but about a philosophy of how to live on earth.

His plans would benefit from more corpses, but he had no desire to shed unnecessary blood from those who had stood by him until yesterday.

Now, only Edelred remained.

Villion reached for Lianne’s sword, the holy sword Lumiarde, lying beside her.

As soon as he touched Lumiarde, a terrible chill overwhelmed him. Like Kaldbruch was given to kings, Lumiarde was meant for guardians of the Holy Land.

Villion was not worthy.

However, he had the strength to endure the chill emanating from Lumiarde.

Crackle. The black gloves Villion wore emitted a strange light, beginning to suppress the chill from Lumiarde. It was a relic he had obtained on an expedition with the Dawn Army. Villion was confident that the gloves could resist the chill from Lumiarde as he grasped it.

Suddenly, everything centered around Lumiarde began to freeze. A massive ice formation rapidly enveloped his hand and arm, and Villion, in panic, struck it. However, the ice did not even scratch.

“Ice? No, crystal!”

While everyone watched in shock, the crystal completely engulfed Lianne’s body. Villion realized that Lumiarde hadn’t attacked him, but had acted to protect Lianne.

Then Lianne’s eyes opened.

At the moment their eyes met, every knight in the Fortress felt an oppressive force. Villion, closest to this intensity, could not breathe and stumbled to his knees.

Lianne’s eyes shone a mystical deep green.

Instinctively, Villion realized that the figure before him was not Lianne but an angel.

An angel had taken residence within Lianne’s body.

“You’ve come this far already.”

–TL Notes–