Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-202

“Well then, the nature of that ‘vile act’ becomes crucial. At the time, the Lighthouse Keeper Luadin gave an order to Archangel Elil. He commanded him to kill a certain woman.”

“A certain woman?”

“Just an ordinary woman.”

If she were truly ordinary, Luadin wouldn’t have ordered an Archangel to kill her.

Nimloth continued, smiling as if she enjoyed the wordplay.

“Yes, in fact, Luadin had a vision of the future in Urbansus. He foresaw the rise of a powerful nation that would hinder the grand design of the Codex of Light. Unhappy with this vision, Luadin sought to alter history. He aimed to eliminate the progenitor of this nation before she could even be born.”

In other words, Luadin ordered Elil to kill a seemingly insignificant woman for the sake of the Codex of Light’s grand design.

“Why Elil?”

“Because the woman was Elil’s wife.”

Isaac fell silent.

He realized who Nimloth was referring to as the progenitor of that powerful nation.

“She was the progenitor of a people who would be born in the future. Luadin knew that her daughter would become a deity, kill Elil, and ally with the undead to obstruct the grand design of the Codex of Light. It would be much harder to ‘correct’ this once she became a deity, so he wanted to deal with it beforehand.”

In Elil’s myth, his daughter, the dancer, was often mentioned, but his wife was rarely discussed. Being a mere human who died shortly after giving birth to the dancer, she had left no significant accomplishments.

Luadin’s decision to kill this one ordinary person was intended to eradicate the future birth of millions of new people and to prevent the foretold death of Elil by his own hands.

But this act, paradoxically, led to the birth of two new deities.

Elil defied Luadin’s order and protected his wife.

This led to the birth of his daughter, who was prophesied to kill him.

Elil’s wife died from childbirth complications, but Elil firmly declared his protection of his daughter. He vowed not to overlook Luadin’s vile act, even if it meant his own death.

Elil’s defection eventually led him to attain divinity with Calurien’s help. The faith of Elil, which did not exist in history, was born, greatly disrupting Luadin’s plan.

In the end, Luadin lost the chance to ‘correct’ history.

Now, Elil could also intervene in Urbansus.

“Of course, Luadin warned Elil. He told him he would regret his rebellion. That his daughter would kill him, his knights would be isolated, his angels would despise him, and he would be plunged into eternal self-loathing…”

Nimloth murmured, her voice heavy. Yet she continued.

“Elil chose to accept all of this. He preferred to suffer rather than kill his daughter before she was born. In bearing shame and disgrace, he found courage and honor.”

Isaac remained silent.

He felt ashamed of his earlier thoughts, where he had mocked Elil as incestuous.

“So, the story about marrying his daughter is a vile lie…”

“Oh, that part is true. They were indeed a well-matched pair.”

“……”

A righteous but tragically somber incestuous relationship.

“However, the claim that Elil instigated a schism to marry his daughter is an ill-timed and malicious lie. One cannot marry an unborn daughter.”

Isaac was shocked as he learned the truth behind Elil’s schism. The “birth of a nation that would stand against the Codex of Light” clearly referred to the kingdom of Wallachia.

Elil’s wife’s daughter was to be the progenitor of that nation.

“It’s true that the Red Chalice holds significant influence… but I wouldn’t say the kingdom of Wallachia is powerful enough to threaten the Codex of Light.”

The human hunters were notorious, but their infamy stemmed from their heinous and brutal actions rather than their strength.

The nation of Wallachia wasn’t particularly strong either. It was merely the largest among the small nations in the East. Despite appearances, Elil’s kingdom was objectively more than twice as powerful as Wallachia.

“The people of Wallachia don’t seem all that strong…”

“Hm. From what I know, it’s not about the nation but about an exceptional hero born from their people who awakens the nation. Someone like Luadin or Elil, a historic hero.”

“A hero?”

Nimloth nodded.

“Yes… I think the name of the destined hero was Hesabel, wasn’t it?”

“Hesabel?”

Isaac asked for confirmation. Nimloth nodded again.

The phrase “The gambling-addicted vampire I subdued is actually an SSS-class national hero?!” flashed through Isaac’s mind, but he dismissed it as unlikely.

Hesabel appeared in the game as the heir to Duke Gullmar’s house, but she never became a hero who saved the nation.

However, there was an explanation that somewhat matched this if the “Crimson Tomb” victory declaration of the Red Chalice was considered…

Isaac suddenly felt a chill.

In the Red Chalice route’s victory declaration, the “Crimson Tomb” ending involved a vampire successfully executing the ultimate conspiracy and assassination, consuming countless angels and royals, and becoming a new god who even overpowered other deities.

In the game, the player was the one to achieve this, but what if there were no player in this world?

There would be someone capable of carrying out such an act.

Could that be Hesabel?

‘It can’t be my gambling-addicted companion. Could it be someone with the same name?’

Isaac found it hard to believe, but he couldn’t dismiss it as mere coincidence, given the name was mentioned by an angel. It was also strange that the Sword of May didn’t seem concerned about a Red Chalice follower named Hesabel among their group.

‘Maybe my appearance or changes in history made her less significant… or perhaps it’s deemed better for her to stay alive… or maybe the Red Chalice is protecting her?’

If so, it made sense why the Mirror Handmaiden had placed Hesabel near Isaac. Whether the dancer wanted herself to be consumed or not, Hesabel was undoubtedly a crucial key for the Red Chalice.

Unaware of Isaac’s thoughts, Nimloth continued.

“Regardless, since Elil sanctioned the schism, what happens in the Red Chalice Club, now a separate entity, is not our concern.”

Nimloth’s words might have disheartened the countless Holy Grail Knights who left to retrieve Elil’s stolen heart, but they underscored her distaste for the Codex of Light’s interference.

“For the same reason, we cannot allow interference from the Codex of Light, just because we were once under its umbrella. Make sure the Sword of May understands this clearly.”

“Lady, it’s not that I intend to defy your wishes…”

Isaac pondered how to logically persuade her.

“Let’s assume it’s none of the Sword of May’s business. Why, then, did you permit the Immortal Order to approach the Holy Land of Elion? Didn’t you know they intended to resurrect Elil in a corrupted form?”

“Elil?”

Nimloth frowned as if she didn’t understand.

“Resurrect Elil as an undead? How? That’s impossible.”

Isaac was taken aback. He had seen it happen and knew it was possible, yet Nimloth spoke as if it were inconceivable.

“To do that, Elil would have to permit it. Do you think he would consent to being resurrected as an undead? It’s an insult to his will.”

“So, it’s possible with Elil’s consent.”

But Nimloth believed such a thing could never happen, which was why she allowed the Immortal Order’s incursion.

She hoped for mutual destruction between them and Isaac’s party.

However, in the game, Elil was resurrected in a corrupted form, leading to the downfall of Elil’s kingdom.

Isaac considered another possibility.

Elil might not be in his right mind to the extent of agreeing to such a resurrection.

‘I’m starting to get really curious about the details of this incident.’

Originally, Isaac intended to meet Elil to bring Elil’s kingdom into the Dawn Army. However, the backdrop to Elil’s kingdom refusing to join and enduring constant civil war was Elil’s silence, and the cause of Elil’s silence was Archangel Calurien’s suspected imprisonment of Elil.

And if that imprisonment wasn’t due to rebellion but had a legitimate reason?

‘Regardless, I need to meet Elil. If I can’t recruit Elil to the Dawn Army, the Dawn Army of the White Empire will be the hardest path.’

As he got closer to Elil, the truth seemed within reach.

Isaac thought it would be best to approach the answer through the Lady of the Lake, who seemed to be aiding Calurien in a passive way.

“The Sword of May, who follows the orders of the Lighthouse Keeper Luadin, is not likely to comply just because a mere paladin says so.”

Nimloth nodded. She hesitated for a moment before speaking solemnly.

“Then to the Sword of May…”

“I’ve heard that story directly, but I think the cat story will backfire.”

Isaac preemptively interrupted, just in case.

Nimloth frowned at his words.

It seemed it was indeed Nimloth who had informed Lianne about Yulihida’s identity.

“I don’t want to touch the Sword of May’s painful wound either. But what other choice do we have?”

“How about a more… conciliatory approach?”

“Conciliatory approach?”

Isaac nodded.

“The Sword of May seems to have a ‘misunderstanding’ about Calurien. If Calurien came and explained it well, perhaps she might accept it.”

Nimloth looked at Isaac as if doubting his intelligence.

“Are you suggesting that the target of an assassin should come out and say, ‘You have misunderstood your reasons for killing me,’ to the assassin?”

“The problem is that the assassin will approach the target no matter what. And I, given my situation, cannot defy the Sword of May. So instead of constantly sending monsters to hinder us, wouldn’t it be better if Calurien stepped forward from the beginning?”

Nimloth pondered Isaac’s words.

The wise Calurien wouldn’t simply agree to such a request. However, it was inevitable that they would meet eventually.

Given that an angel from another faith was causing chaos in heaven, this issue ultimately required direct intervention by an angel.

“Very well. Let’s try it your way.”

***

[So this is the result of your persuasion?]

Isaac averted his gaze, avoiding the sight of the ten-meter-wide eye floating in the sky staring at him.

Isaac had confessed to meeting Nimloth and relayed the compromise.

Nimloth had clearly conveyed Isaac’s words to Calurien, and Calurien had taken them seriously. He had come to meet the Sword of May at sunrise.

With approximately ten thousand knights of Elil, various bizarre magical creatures, and golems with magical storms raging through their joints.

And that wasn’t all.

On the right wing of this strange army stood Nimloth, the second Archangel of Elil, and on the left wing was a knight wearing a light blue lion-shaped helmet. That lion helmet marked him as the Lion Knight, Elil’s third Archangel.

In the central rear, an old wizard hovered in the air, watching them. With his long beard, pointy hat, flowing robe, and long staff, he looked like the quintessential wizard.

This old man was surely Calurien, Elil’s first Archangel.

Facing even one Archangel was overwhelming, but three? Isaac felt at a loss for words.

It was like witnessing a hurricane, volcanic eruption, and tsunami all at once. Seeing one angel in a lifetime was enough, but Isaac had seen far too many.

‘But we have someone with the strength of an angel.’

Isaac glanced at Edelred. Edelred looked as if he was having a heart attack at the sight of so many angels, but he was still standing.

When their eyes met, Edelred cautiously spoke.

“Master, I respect you, but I do not respect you enough to think fighting three angels simultaneously is wise.”

“Very wise, Your Majesty.”

Such restraint in his personal feelings meant Elil’s future was bright.

Isaac turned his gaze to the national hero prophesied to stand against the grand design of the Codex of Light, the SSS-class vampire Hesabel. Surprisingly, Hesabel showed no sign of being intimidated or afraid. Instead, she smirked mockingly at the Archangels.

“They don’t even realize this is all a trap and a conspiracy by Lord Isaac. The people of Elil are rusted from head to toe!”

“……”

“Come on, Lord Isaac! It’s time to humiliate them!”

“……”

“Lord Isaac?”

Isaac was already running in the opposite direction, away from the approaching confrontation. The future of Wallachia seemed bleak.

–TL Notes–