Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-78

“How dare you speak against the Bishop!”

As Delia raised her voice, a paladin stepped forward in indignation. At the same time, other nobles and knights also surged forward. They were already discontented with Delia’s lack of eagerness to collect debts. The situation exploded when it seemed that the order was attempting to dispose of the Hendrake estate arbitrarily.

Yet, the count was not outmatched by the bishop.

“How dare you tamper with the imperial territory!”

“Even if it’s the order, this is not the way to do it!”

“These, these people…!”

The other priests were just as flushed with anger. Although they depended on the order for their livelihoods and were not greedy, they could not tolerate any damage to the order’s dignity.

Especially not in front of the Emperor’s nobles.

Moreover, the stakes were high. If a monastery was established, one of them could become the abbot. While the order’s expenses were mostly covered by donations, a monastery could enjoy a status not unlike that of a lord, depending on the region or policy.

The problem, however, was that this land belonged to the noble Hendrake.

That is, it was a territory bestowed by the Emperor.

Despite its issues, the order could not just take it over arbitrarily.

Isaac suppressed a smile as he waited for the chaos to unfold, anticipating how much his own value would increase in the meantime.

“Enough!”

At that moment, Bishop Juan sternly rebuked them. Duchess Delia was also trying to calm the nobles to prevent further escalation.

“The monastery was just an example. But what else can we do to stop the evil aura emanating from this place?”

“Since the Grail Knight has already dispelled the curse, there’s no evidence of any evil aura…”

“It was the Grail Knight who requested to suppress the aura. Moreover, if the Prophet of the Red Flesh intended to use fallen angels to take over this place, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”

Juan looked at Delia with displeasure, as if reprimanding her.

“Even if we do nothing, what will become of this estate? Which of you will manage it? Or will you sell it off? An estate cursed by an angel?”

The nobles fell silent. They had only come to somehow dispose of or divide the estate to collect debts. But if the curse was real and something ominously untoward was afoot, to whom could they sell the estate? And even if they did, it would be impossible to get a fair price.

Delia clenched her teeth and said, “But this is an imperial terriotry. For the order to dispose of it as they please could sow seeds of unnecessary conflict, could it not?”

“I do not believe the Emperor would engage in conflict with the order over such a trivial matter.”

“But it sounds like the order is willing to engage in conflict with His Majesty over this.”

“Presumptuous…”

“Just a moment, please.”

Just as the argument was about to escalate into a heated emotional conflict, someone spoke up.

The person who had been silent up until now, along with the central nobles, was a merchant, Eiden.

“It seems we are discussing this without considering the opinion of the most important person here.”

“The most important person?”

Delia looked at Aiden with suspicion and then suddenly thought of Isaac. She remembered the conversation they had just before he went out to expel the curse.

That he had something to do.

It was clear that Isaac had hinted at something to Delia.

“Right. We almost discussed this without the Grail Knight. It was the Grail Knight who reclaimed this estate and dispelled the curse. We cannot proceed without considering the most important person.”

Indeed, the person who should have the greatest say. Delia hoped Isaac would support her and passed the speaking rights to him. However, before Isaac could speak, Eiden mentioned someone entirely unexpected.

“No. Not the Grail Knight.”

“Not? Then who?”

“Kyle Hendrake. The current owner of this estate.”

Kyle Hendrake had been out of his mind for the past few days, but now he had recovered enough to speak. Or rather, Isaac had healed him.

It was Isaac who had intentionally left Kyle’s spirit unanchored.

When Kyle was practically dragged into the hall by the paladins, all eyes focused on him. The nobles appeared somewhat anxious.

Kyle Hendrake was a significant sinner, but his accusations were mainly focused on heresy and apostasy. The sins of contacting a heretic angel, attacking the Grail Knight, and recently hiding a fallen angel had been added.

The accusations of attacking Reinhardt’s knights and soldiers were pinned on Raella and Owen, based on the testimonies of survivors. However, the crimes that occurred before Owen’s rebellion were undeniably Kyle’s fault.

If Kyle were to beg the order for his life and offer his estate, the nobles’ position would be utterly undermined.

“Kyle Hendrake.”

Thud. The paladins forced Kyle to kneel on the hall floor. Juan examined Kyle with deep furrows in his brow. Kyle still looked dazed but not to the point of being unable to converse.

“We’ll skip listing the charges since this is not a formal trial. Instead, let’s use this opportunity to confess any hidden sins through confession.”

“Yes…”

Kyle weakly responded before slowly beginning to speak.

“I confess my sins…”

Kyle began to recite his offenses.

“I embezzled the estate’s funds for speculative activities, was unfaithful to the faith, mismanaged the estate neglecting the duty entrusted to me by His Majesty the Emperor, attended worship insincerely, and…”

“Hold on.”

Juan interrupted with an annoyed tone.

“Skip the trivial matters. The reason you’re here isn’t for those.”

Kyle looked blankly at Juan.

“What do you mean…”

“The contact with the heretic angel, attacking the Grail Knight, hiding a fallen angel! Those things!”

A priest beside him chided angrily. At this, Kyle widened his eyes and hastily shook his head.

“No, that’s not true! I haven’t done such things! A heretic angel? I’ve never met such a thing! How could I dare!”

Juan looked incredulously at the inquisitor. Isolde and the other silently observing inquisitors exchanged glances before carefully speaking up.

“It’s true.”

“What?”

“We found no signs of mental corruption or drug use on Kyle. We thoroughly investigated the items within the lord’s manor, and we found no evidence suggesting Kyle Hendrake was influenced by the Red Grail. The testimonies of survivors were consistent.”

Inquisitors, through some rude and painful methods, could almost always uncover anything. Isaac knew through Isolde how recklessly the inquisitors pursued evidence of heresy. If they couldn’t find evidence, then there truly was none.

Despite direct contact with an angel, the fact that Kyle was this clean could indicate his convictions.

“Though there’s evidence of Kyle being manipulated due to incompetence, it seems unlikely he intentionally attacked the Grail Knight or Count Reinhardt.”

“What…”

Juan’s face began to redden. In contrast, a triumphant smile started to form on Delia’s face. If the significant charges could be shifted to Raella, the advantage would swing to the nobles.

Just as Juan seemed about to burst with high blood pressure, Kyle spoke up.

“Excuse me, Bishop Juan. May I say something?”

“Shut your mouth, you wretch!”

Although Juan erupted in anger, Delia stepped forward as if to protect him.

“Bishop Juan, regardless of his sins, he hasn’t received a formal trial yet. He deserves a chance to defend himself.”

Juan seemed about to grind his teeth, but with hardly any left, his gums merely clicked together.

Delia found this immensely satisfying.

“Go on, then. Say what you wish.”

The prospect of striking a blow against the order was satisfying enough for her. Even if Kyle managed to preserve his estate, the nobility would likely be the ones to tear it apart next. Still, it might be better than losing his life.

Without Juan’s permission, Kyle began his defense.

“I was manipulated by Raela. However, this is because I failed to properly manage the territory bestowed upon me by His Majesty the Emperor, and my faith in the Codex of Light was also weak. If I had acted faithfully in all trusts and maintained a firm belief, the heretic angel would not have dared to contact me.”

The gaze of those watching the trial became nuanced. This was especially true for the expressions of the ministers and servants who had been serving Kyle in the castle for a long time.

Was Kyle always so eloquent?

“If he’s trying to defend his incompetence as a reason for his sins…”

“No.”

When Juan was about to rebuke, Kyle spoke.

“All this incompetence proves that I am not fit for this position. I intend to relinquish all my titles and territories and live the rest of my life in repentance. And I wish that God would take this domain.

“What?”

Delia, who had been watching Juan’s reaction with amusement, turned around in shock at the last statement.

She had anticipated him giving up the territory. After all, holding onto it would only lead to being torn apart by the nobles. If he surrendered it willingly, he could live the rest of his life without hunger.

But why would he drop such a bombshell now?

Juan was equally surprised.

“Are you saying you want to donate the domain to the Codex of Light?”

“No.”

Kyle bowed his head and said.

“I wish to dedicate it to the one who has given me the opportunity to repent and has enlightened me, Sir Isaac, the Grail Knight.”

***

The hall plunged into chaos again. Dedicating the domain to Isaac meant for the Codex of Light? However, Isaac was a wandering Grail Knight, not belonging to any specific knightly order or diocese.

“Can a Grail Knight hold a territory?”

“It’s not unprecedented.”

In the past, Grail Knights traveled around, defeating monsters and performing great deeds. The places cleared of monsters were often uninhabited or barren, and it was not uncommon for the local lords or magnates to donate such areas to the Grail Knights as a gesture of praise.

But never had a significant domain been given entirely.

“You’re going to hand over the Hendrake domain entirely to Isaac?”

“Yes. Since he drove away the heretic angel and lifted the curse, he is the most fitting person, as the residents here would also agree. If Sir Isaac establishes a monastery here to suppress the evil spirits, everyone will be at ease.”

“Not bad.”

Juan was irked by the idea of giving it to Isaac personally rather than to the Codex of Light, but he considered it a nominal expression. After all, Isaac was a Grail Knight. Moreover, there were plans to canonize him, so a monastery owned by such a saint would undoubtedly be considered territory of the Codex of Light.

Amidst the confusion, Delia, whose mind was racing, quickly spoke up.

“Wait a minute. There’s still a problem. Kyle has a huge debt. He cannot dispose of this domain without settling that debt.”

“Let the order take care of the debt.”

“Can the Hendrake domain also settle Kyle’s debt? His debt has snowballed due to the recent Loracus incident. It’s not just our debt that needs to be paid.”

Juan ordered a priest to check how much Kyle owed. They had come to confirm the debts lent to Kyle by the order and Isaac’s achievements, so they were unaware of the specifics. Shortly after, the priest returned with a pale face and brought the ledger of the Hendrake domain.

Seeing the amount, Juan wanted to hit Kyle over the head with the ledger.

It wasn’t an unmanageable amount. However, it was too much for Juan to bear alone.

While it was important to make Isaac a saint, it wasn’t worth risking Juan’s political and financial life. Moreover, selling a cursed domain at its full value was unlikely.

“So what do you propose?”

As the discussion seemed to wander into a stalemate, Delia locked eyes with Isaac. In that moment, she suddenly had an idea.

Who owns the domain isn’t what’s important.

What was important to her was something other than money.

“The Empire will settle the debt. In return.”

Delia’s choice was to make the Hendrake domain a gray area.

“Let Sir Isaac Grail Knight be granted the territory by His Majesty the Emperor.”