Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-210

There was a brief silence after Isaac’s words, then Calurien’s low laughter filled the air.

[Do you know what it means to extract a Dragon Heart?]

“I know that unlike other creatures, removing it won’t be fatal.”

[…A Dragon Heart is not like a heart.]

Calurien growled in a low whisper.

[We were born as the firstborns of this world. Even when the divine beings were still babbling, our kind walked this earth. We lived through times when the land was nothing but seething lava, and through eras when not a single blade of grass could grow.]

Isaac wondered if this was a moment for applause, but it seemed it would be nothing more than sarcasm. Despite Calurien’s proud words, dragons were now nearly extinct.

[A Dragon Heart is the source that allowed us to be born as divine beings. Simply by breathing, power accumulates within the Dragon Heart. My soul is contained within it.]

“That’s exactly why you need to extract it, Calurien.”

Isaac spoke, hoping his words would sound partly like a threat.

“If I take it by force, you will surely die. You might not die permanently since you’re an angel now, but without your precious Dragon Heart, you won’t be as powerful as before. Who knows what might happen to you before you resurrect. And I can’t leave you here out of pity because you might recover and come after us again.”

Subduing Calurien had been a near-miraculous feat achieved with the help of the Sword of May.

Isaac had no intention of taking the gamble of facing Calurien again. He had to ensure Calurien remained crippled while he had the upper hand. The Dragon Heart was a kind of hostage.

“But if you willingly extract your Dragon Heart, you won’t die.”

Calurien narrowed his eyes and stared at Isaac. Though the statement sounded absurd, he realized Isaac’s intention.

[You say you won’t kill me? Are you defying the Sword of May’s command?]

“Strictly speaking, the Sword of May’s objective was to liberate Elil, not necessarily to kill you.”

Isaac shrugged as he replied.

“If liberating Elil can be achieved without your death, I think that’s acceptable. Besides, killing you, only for you to come back, serves no purpose. But if you ‘lend’ me your Dragon Heart for a while, it serves a purpose.”

[Purpose?]

“You can stay by my side and see if my words come true.”

There would be no Great War, and neither the Elil Kingdom nor its faith would fall. If that meant the end of the world, then so be it.

Calurien was silent for a moment before a mental wave of laughter emerged. It was a satisfied laugh.

[There seems to be no other way.]

It was clear that Isaac’s goals were different from those of the Codex of Light or Elil. In that case, it might be better to stay by this rising figure and lend him strength as needed. It didn’t matter if Isaac was a servant of the Nameless Chaos.

In fact, it was precisely because of that that Calurien felt he should stay close. If Isaac began to go astray, he would need someone to warn him.

Calurien felt that Isaac was a being who would do anything to achieve his desires.

[Very well. I will entrust my heart to you.]

***

After receiving the Dragon Heart from Calurien, Isaac was guided by Nimloth to an unknown destination.

Unlike when he had walked for a long time with the Sword of May, the scenery changed rapidly with each step. In an instant, the time of day and even the seasons shifted.

They arrived at a picturesque hill by a lake. Reeds swayed by the lakeside, and flocks of geese flew in formation.

Isaac, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he observed the scenery, spoke up.

“Is this the Holy Land of Elion?”

Nimloth glanced back at Isaac, but Edelred looked at him with confusion.

“What? Isn’t this a completely different place? There’s no surrounding lake or walls of stone.”

Having fought for weeks around the fortress of Elion, Edelred was somewhat familiar with its surrounding geography. The landscape here had none of the distinguishing features that marked Elion.

However, Isaac wasn’t speaking based on the terrain.

“The trees are the same. It’s also autumn.”

Isaac pointed to the trees on the hill.

Of course, there were differences. Unlike the Holy Land of Elion, there were no camellia flowers, and there was no mist.

Edelred still looked puzzled, but Nimloth spoke up.

“You have a keen eye, Holy Grail Knight.”

“Well… we’re on our way to meet Elil, after all.”

Nimloth nodded and began ascending the hill.

“Yes. This specific time and place is the only where Elil can be seen. Calurien placed him here in this time and space.”

When they finally reached the top of the hill, Isaac felt a stifling sensation in his chest. The others seemed to be experiencing similar discomfort. Isaac realized that the air and divine power were particularly dense on this hill.

A large sword was embedded under the grand oak tree at the top of the hill. Edelred, who had been watching the sword, gasped in shock.

“The Holy Sword Kaldwin! Is that Kaldwin? The sacred artifact that was retrieved by the ‘Ashen’ Holy Grail Knight, who succeeded in retrieving it and returned it to Elil, who then appointed her as the fourth celestial angel?”

The title of Holy Grail Knight might be defunct now, but it has a grand and long history.

Many Holy Grail Knights once roamed the continent searching for Elil’s lost sacred artifacts. One of these knights, after a tremendous adventure, succeeded in retrieving one of Elil’s lost holy swords.

However, fanatical followers of the Codex of Light captured her and set her ablaze on a pyre. Despite the flames, the Holy Grail Knight did not reveal the location of the retrieved sword. Moved by her sacrifice, Elil manifested in that land and gathered the ashes of the knight, appointing her as the fourth celestial angel.

She was Elil’s fourth and youngest celestial angel, known as ‘Ashen’, and the sword that Elil personally retrieved and embedded here was Kaldwin.

In fact, Isaac had tried to summon Elil by offering up his split-rite, much like Ashen. But the interference of the Sword of May had changed everything completely.

‘Come to think of it, Ashen did not appear during the subjugation of Calurien… probably because she’s active on the mortal plane. She must already be in the East by now.’

The celestial angel Ashen usually acted like a prophet of the Red Flesh on the mortal plane, functioning as a sort of secret agent for the Elil Order. However, unlike the Red Flesh, she didn’t scheme or plot. Having not received any divine oracles for the past century, she would likely continue her usual activities.

Collecting sacred artifacts or exterminating villains as she did in her lifetime.

From the perspective of those she hunted, having an angel doing such things would be a disaster.

While she often interacted with humans, she left no significant historical traces. However, in an Elil faith playthrough, she frequently appeared as an ally.

***

Nimloth caressed Kaldwin as she spoke.

“Yes. This is Kaldwin, Elil’s most cherished holy sword. It’s currently being used as the lock for the prison.”

A powerful holy sword was indeed a potent sacred artifact.

It was ironic that Kaldwin, Elil’s most cherished sword, was being used as the catalyst to seal him. Nimloth stepped aside as if making way for Isaac. Isaac stepped forward and took out a blue gem from his bosom.

It was Calurien’s Dragon Heart.

[Bring me close to Kaldwin.]

A faint voice of Calurien emanated from the Dragon Heart. His soul resided within it, and his incarnation had entered a long slumber for recovery, unable to move anymore.

As Isaac brought Calurien’s Dragon Heart closer to Kaldwin, the flickering light from the heart seeped into the sword. Though it was unclear exactly what was happening, Isaac realized he was unlocking a complex and powerful seal. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of layers of seals, illusions, bindings, suggestions, and brainwashing spells were being unraveled through Kaldwin.

With each layer that was undone, Isaac felt the suffocating sensation in his chest gradually ease. The strange density of air and divine power on the hill was all due to these seals.

Crack, crack.

Finally, it was as if something had collapsed, and a breeze blew through.

A cool autumn wind blew from the lake.

As the pleasant wind rustled their hair, everyone visibly relaxed. But only Nimloth remained tense, bowing her head in silence.

“I greet the Supreme King.”

***

When Isaac turned his head, he didn’t see Elil, as he had expected. Instead, there was a massive knight wearing a lion-shaped helmet. The knight stood silently, gripping a greatsword with both hands and making no response to Nimloth’s words.

‘The Lion Knight, Elil’s third celestial angel…’

In the game’s lore, aside from the gods, he was the strongest entity in one-on-one combat.

The title of the Supreme King’s Guardian Knight wasn’t given lightly. Nimloth remained bowed before him in silence.

“Nimloth? What’s going on?”

Someone peeked out from beside the Lion Knight.

It was the same face Isaac had seen in the Holy Land of Elion. A tall, slender elf with a beautiful appearance.

It was Elil.

The title of Supreme King seemed almost laughable given his quiet and modest presence. The Lion Knight’s overwhelming aura had overshadowed Elil.

Edelred instinctively knelt at the sight.

Isaac and Hesabel, though technically heretics, followed suit out of respect. But Isaac noticed that Elil wasn’t even looking at him.

No, he didn’t need to.

The moment Isaac set foot in this space, everything about him had already been laid bare to Elil’s senses. Every blade of grass underfoot, every breath of wind, every ray of sunlight touching his skin was an extension of Elil’s perception.

“We have interesting guests. Larabia, wake up. We have visitors.”

A woman had been sleeping next to Elil. They both seemed to have been napping under the autumn sun. But she didn’t wake up, instead, she mumbled and turned over.

Elil looked apologetic as he turned to Isaac’s group.

“Apologies. Larabia seems tired. Let’s talk with me instead.”

Elil smiled warmly as he approached Isaac’s group.

Isaac found Elil’s demeanor odd.

Elil, supposedly sealed for nearly a century, was calm and gentle. It differed from the stern image shown to Elil’s followers, and contrary to Calurien’s fears, there was no self-destructive inclination visible.

Elil looked around at the group, then tilted his head.

“But where is Calurien? He always came with you.”

Isaac noticed Nimloth’s head bowing even lower. She radiated intense tension and fear.

Nimloth, Elil’s mentor, and Calurien had become celestial angels almost simultaneously. Yet here she was, trembling before Elil.

It wasn’t fear of Elil himself, but fear of the confession she was about to make.

Elil’s gaze shifted to the sword, Kaldwin, embedded in the ground.

His expression hardened instantly. Nimloth spoke up.

“Calurien can no longer maintain the seal.”

As soon as Nimloth spoke, Isaac felt something was terribly wrong.

Elil remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“I see.”

Elil’s voice was dry and cracked, devoid of the kindness and gentleness from moments ago.

It sounded like the tearing scream of an ancient tree about to fall.

Isaac realized why Calurien had been able to imprison Elil.

Calurien hadn’t used sheer force to seal Elil. He had trapped him in a cycle of sweet illusions and happiness, making Elil unwilling to leave. Elil had been performing the role of the happiest moments in his paradise.

In other words, Elil had willingly chosen to stay within Calurien’s seal.

Now that the play had ended, Elil had to return to reality.

His paradise began to crumble.

–TL Notes–