Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-323-1

As soon as Hastel heard the words “Crimson Grave,” a chill ran down his spine. It was a kind of prophecy, one that spoke of the beginning and the end of the existence of the Red Chalice.

The Red Chalice, in other words, was the story of the blood that flowed from Elil’s heart. The prophecy foretold that this blood would one day be reclaimed, and whoever swallowed that heart would become a new god.

It was an utterly blasphemous story, but the one who left this prophecy was none other than the Dancer.

The blood that flowed from the Red Chalice referred to the blood that turned the noble families of Wallachia into immortal vampires. The notion of reclaiming this blood meant that all the Wallachian nobles would die. In a broader sense, even the angels were not exempt.

To bring about such a result, it was clear that countless corpses and rivers of blood would flow. Hence, the ominous name attached to the prophecy: “Crimson Grave.”

It could be seen as a kind of apocalyptic prophecy for the Red Chalice Club.

“Do you know what that means?”

Hesabel smiled.

“The old are too fearful. I think that prophecy is highly exaggerated. In reality, it’s probably just something like ‘the unification of the three dukedoms.’”

“…The unification of the dukedoms?”

“Roanoke, Ere, and Gulmar. These three ducal families rule the Kingdom of Wallachia and determine the royal succession. But the strongest bloodline, the Roanokes, almost always take the throne, while the Eres control most of the fertile land.”

The House of Gulmar was relatively weak. Although they had strong blood, they couldn’t compare to the other two houses. Hesabel thought to herself that this sense of inferiority must have driven Hastel to retreat into the fortress.

“And so?”

“Think about it, Mother. Do you think there will ever come a day when we can defeat those two houses?”

The idea that there was no need to care about winning or losing among believers of the same faith was meaningless.

Once the prophecy of the Crimson Grave had been made by the Dancer, it was clear that someone would devour all the bloodlines and unify them. And none of the three families had any intention of being devoured—they all sought to devour the others.

From the moment the prophecy became known, the dukes had been covertly checking each other, resorting to assassinations and intrigues.

The increasing disparity between the three houses, which had once been evenly matched, was the result of these covert actions.

“Weren’t you also trying to overturn this order, Mother? That’s why you cooperated with the Immortal Order using the Rite of Division, wasn’t it?”

Hesabel thought about her brother, Heinkel Gulmar, who had attempted to use the Rite of Division. He had sought a reversal of fortunes through cooperation with the Immortal Order. However, the sudden appearance of Isaac had resulted in the disastrous loss of the Rite of Division instead.

“So what are you plotting, then? Are you planning to bring the Holy Grail Knight to Wallachia and kill all the other dukes?”

Hastel asked, and Hesabel smiled. She moved closer to Hastel, so close that he could see her eyes. Although they were close enough to tear each other apart, Hesabel showed no hesitation.

“How could you be so simple, Mother?”

In Hesabel’s crimson eyes, Hastel saw swirling purple waves. They exuded a thick stench of blood, one so intense it was rare even among vampires.

“I’ll tell you about the great assassination that the most cunning deceiver shall carry out.”

***

Isaac watched the old lighthouse.

In truth, Isaac didn’t care about the succession or anything like that. There was no rule stating that an outsider couldn’t intervene in the succession. All he had to do was kill Hastel Gulmar by any means necessary, and then Hesabel would consume all the blood, completing the succession.

However, there were human hunters present. And not just any hunters—these were elite guards. The moment Isaac intervened, they too would be forced to interfere with the succession ritual. This was entirely different from a fight between Hesabel and Hastel.

In such a case, Leonora, who was being held hostage, could get caught in the crossfire.

Of course, the fact that Hesabel had not shown any desire for help played a part in Isaac’s decision not to intervene. Although Hesabel did not exude confidence, she had enough assurance not to be overwhelmed easily.

‘If Hesabel can grow from this event… I should give her the chance.’

Hesabel’s potential for growth was limitless. If she was indeed the one mentioned in the victory conditions of the Red Chalice, her future was boundless.

“Hm?”

At that moment, the interior of the lighthouse fell silent, and then the door opened. A woman stepped out.

It was Leonora. She walked out calmly, showing no signs of distress. Aside from a scratch on her neck from when she had been kidnapped, there were no other visible injuries.

The silence of the lighthouse and the release of the hostage.

It looked like the outcome had been decided, and the human hunters were visibly shaken. But Isaac could sense that Hesabel hadn’t let her guard down, and he realized that this was merely a temporary truce.

The battle was far from over.

And so was Isaac’s part in it.

“You’ve come to rescue me, Holy Grail Knight?”

“…You look like you would’ve been freed even if I hadn’t come.”

“Few have desires as clear as the people of Wallachia. When desires are evident, it’s easier to predict their moves. The Red Chalice followers aren’t as secretive or inscrutable as others might think.”

‘Compared to you, they’re probably as straightforward as country folk.’

Isaac was reminded again that innocence was a relative concept.

After all the twists and turns, he was once again face to face with her.

Isaac felt his thoughts grow complicated.

Initially, Isaac had invaded this place to protect Angela and exclude Leonora from the Golden Idol Guild. But along the way, he had found himself needing Leonora’s help. To make matters worse, she had even assisted him.

Isaac couldn’t figure out what was going through Leonora’s mind or what motivated her actions.

‘If desires are clear, you can predict how someone will act?’

**What is Leonora’s desire?** Isaac sought to understand it.

He had many questions to ask, but the one he asked first was the most perplexing to him.

“Why did you save me from the Reaper?”

The first thing she did was use *Death Reprieve* to separate the Reaper from Isaac. This was what Isaac couldn’t comprehend. Leonora had previously seemed intent on eliminating him. So why was she helping him now?

“I never thought a Holy Grail Knight would die to something like *that*,” Leonora murmured with a crooked smile. “It’s just…”

“…I didn’t want to be interrupted?”

“Didn’t want to be interrupted?” Isaac repeated.

“You traveled all this way to find me, Sir Grail Knight. If something as trivial as a curse got in the way, it would have annoyed me. That’s all. But I’m glad you feel indebted to me. That makes me feel quite good,” Leonora said with a sly smile, lightly poking Isaac with her finger.

“Well, consider your debt repaid by your subordinate rescuing me. After all, it was our side that attracted those human hunters in the first place.”

“…Right. You initially wanted to eliminate me because of Angela, didn’t you? It would have been easier if you’d just let the Reaper finish the job. The Reaper was far more dangerous than those bumbling mercenaries or assassins you hired.”

“I never intended to kill you, Sir Grail Knight,” Leonora replied coyly, as if she were shy.

“I just wanted you to need my help. I wanted to put you in a difficult position where you would have no choice but to turn to me for assistance.”