Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-99

Isolde returned to her room and wandered around for a long time.

“Tentacles!”

She couldn’t even scream. Someone might hear.

In front of Isaac, she rambled about how the ordeal he was facing was a symbol of tribulation, but she didn’t truly believe it.

Isolde knew all too well what the tentacles symbolized and what horrific events had occurred.

The history of those who worshiped the god of chaos was almost entirely erased, but their infamous reputation continued to be passed down.

“But… Isaac?”

His demeanor and achievements were completely contrary to everything she had learned.

It could all be a deception. Isaac was revered as a devout Grail Knight and was benefiting greatly from it. And among the inquisitors, the same saying was passed down like a proverb.

The most faithful will commit the most painful betrayal.

Elil, who rebelled against Luadin; the Red Chalice, who plucked out Elil’s heart; Beshek, a bishop of the Codex of Light who apostatized and dragged the afterlife to the earthly realm.

The world of mythology was as full of betrayal and conspiracy as the human world.

Inquisitors exist to prevent such incidents from happening again. So, it was natural to doubt Isaac. The moment Isaac showed the tentacles, Isolde should have immediately subdued him. If not possible, she should have escaped and reported him.

But she didn’t want to.

Isolde was well aware that the Church of the Codex of Light did not adhere well to its doctrines. Compared to that, Isaac seemed worthy of the name of a Grail Knight.

Isolde could not simply condemn Isaac as evil.

“Is my faith shaking?”

No, her faith was not shaking. What was shaking was her trust in the order.

Isaac could be the catalyst for changing the church, she truly believed.

With that thought, Isolde felt that her role would not change significantly in the future. She was dispatched to monitor Isaac.

She would continue to monitor Isaac, but the purpose would change.

Whether Isaac was hiding the traits of an evildoer or becoming one.

Yet, at the same time, Isolde harbored another worry.

“The most faithful will commit the most painful betrayal.”

An inquisitor who abandons their duty and loses loyalty to the church.

Perhaps, she worried, the apostate might be herself.

***

During his seclusion in the room, Isaac organized what he had gained from the recent battle.

“First, the rewards obtained by defeating Al Duard…”

At the moment of defeating Al Duard, Isaac was engulfed in chaos spilling from the afterlife and lost consciousness, but the nameless chaos faithfully provided rewards. Although he couldn’t consume Al Duard, the rewards were not bad considering.

[The nameless chaos is satisfied with your defeat of Archdeacon ‘Al Duard’.]

[You have been awarded the chaos rewards.]

[You have acquired the trait ‘Dark Eucharist’.]

[Dark Eucharist / You can consume targets with tentacles or treat them as a ‘Eucharist’. Faith increases in proportion to the quality of the Eucharist. Enemies witnessing the Eucharist fall into fear or chaos, but your followers experience religious ecstasy.]

“Is this really a good trait for me?”

Isaac read the skill description with a dubious expression. It seemed more fitting for the Red Chalice Club than the nameless chaos, but he also thought there might not be much difference between tentacles that chew up enemies alive and vampires that suck blood.

Still, he felt the need to increase his faith recently, and depending on how it’s used, it could provide a wide-area debuff or a buff for allies.

It was unclear what specific effects “religious ecstasy” would have.

“Next, the relics taken from Al Duard.”

Isaac ordered Hesabel to bring the reliquary.

Hesabel promptly presented it. It was a reliquary that could instantly use a powerful miracle. After taking it, it indeed seemed to be a relic of significant value. There were already a few burnt marks, but 8 symbols remained.

A window explaining what this object meant appeared in front of Isaac.

[The Reliquary of the Chosen (S)]

[The Reliquary of the Chosen, previously used by Bishop Beshek before his apostasy. A powerful ritual tool that allows miracles to be performed without complex ceremonies by simply preparing the necessary sacrifices and prayers in advance. The burn marks can only be removed by Bishop Beshek himself.]

It was a ritual item similar to the Rite of Division.

Moreover, it was directly related to the god of the immortal order, Beshek.

However, its rank was lower than the Rite of Division. The Rite of Division was directly related to the birth of a god, whereas the Reliquary of the Chosen was merely an item possessed by Beshek when he was still human.

Still, as a divine object, it seemed not bad for ritual use.

The Rite of Division served as a powerful ritual catalyst, simplifying many procedures and materials. However, this reliquary, in addition to acting as a catalyst, seemed to allow for the immediate activation of miracles if complex processes were pre-completed, much like loading a bullet.

‘The problem is that I don’t know which miracles are in it.’

No matter how much Isaac looked, he could only see information that it belonged to Bishop Beshek, with no details on the specific miracles. Blindly activating it could be problematic if it unleashed an undead summoning miracle, for instance.

‘It’s better to just carry it around as a buff item.’

[You have acquired the relic ‘The Reliquary of the Chosen.’]

[The effects of your noble journey are further strengthened.]

As a relic entwined with the story of the immortal emperor Beshek, just possessing it allowed Isaac to gain significant buff effects. Since it couldn’t be returned in the hostile situation against the immortal order, this was the best course of action.

‘And lastly…’

Isaac recalled his fight with the Dullahan.

That Dullahan was clearly not an ordinary swordsman. Isaac was certain he must have been a renowned swordsman within the Elil order. However, there was no clue as to who he was, only the broken sword handle he used as a weapon remained.

The sword handle had neither miracles nor power, making it seem worthless. Still, Isaac decided to keep it just in case.

But that wasn’t what was important.

During the intense battle, Isaac could feel a surge of energy manifesting from within him towards the sword.

It was something different from miracles or advanced swordsmanship.

The Dullahan’s swordsmanship was clearly superior to his own. But by absorbing his swordsmanship skills, Isaac broke through his own limits.

‘This must be thanks to Kalsen’s talent. How strong was Kalsen, really?’

Being a candidate for godhood, a predestined archangel, and having risen to the second in command of the immortal order, it was natural for him to be strong. The thought of such a being being consumed by him felt increasingly strange the more he considered it.

Since this ability did not appear in the status window, Isaac decided to meditate on it during his seclusion, hoping to reawaken that sensation. If he could, his level would definitely advance by a significant margin.

‘At least to Gebel’s level or beyond…’

That’s a level among the top ranks of paladins. Isaac closed his eyes and revisited his duel with the Dullahan.

***

Clang, clang.

The sound of metal being hammered echoed loudly. The forge at the corner of the castle, unused for a while, suddenly buzzed with activity and the sound of hammering after a long time. The man wielding the hammer furiously struck the Forge.

Passersby glanced at the hammering man. Compact but sturdy in build, his bushy beard singed in places. He was that dwarf, known to have almost disappeared from the continent, sparking curiosity. Especially since he was a forge master who hadn’t shown himself in public for over a hundred years.

But no one dared to speak to him carelessly. They had been warned that he was a guest under Isaac’s protection. Thanks to that, the forge master could hammer away without worry.

Until someone spoke to him from behind.

“Sir.”

Cutting through the noisy clangs, someone’s voice was heard. The forge master turned his head. He sized up the woman who spoke to him before speaking.

“That inquisitor lady, I presume.”

“Isolde Brant.”

As Isolde answered politely, the forge master looked at her stiffly before responding.

“Ulsten. My responses may be blunt, but understand that’s just how I speak… Even if our faiths differ, I’m not ungrateful.”

Ulsten hadn’t forgotten Isolde, the inquisitor who had come to his rescue when he was surrounded by the undead of the immortal order on a bridge. Recognizing him as a blacksmith of the World’s Forge, a priest within the Forge Church, Isolde had immediately identified his affiliation, and Ulsten felt the irony in being protected by an inquisitor.

“Helping each other among those belonging to the same White Empire is only natural.”

“Well… if you think so, I’m grateful.”

Elil, the Codex of Light, the World’s Forge.

These three faiths among the nine are collectively referred to as the nations of the White Empire.

Despite internal conflicts and disputes, they generally shared similar values and maintained good relations. Although the relationship had become strained recently due to the increasingly dogmatic atmosphere within the Church of the Codex of Light, their common history of standing against the Black Empire still bound them together.

In this context, the cooperation between Isolde and Ulsten against the enemies of the immortal order was quite meaningful, especially since the World’s Forge Church had been isolating itself lately.

And the reason the World’s Forge Church fell into isolation—Ulsten felt a bit awkward with Isolde’s humble approach.

“Your response is not typical of an inquisitor. I’ve heard they’re so arrogant that just talking to them could raise one’s blood pressure to lethal levels… If you’re not in a hurry, we can talk while I work. If I stop now, the quality will drop.”

Ulsten resumed hammering the metal. Isolde, curious about what the renowned forge master was making, watched closely. However, it didn’t seem like he was crafting a legendary sword.

“A spike?”

It was a large nail, the kind used by stone masons or for mining.

“Yes. I’ll be needing it soon.”

Isolde, who knew forge masters used the miraculous fires of their forges to create magical weapons, found it odd to see Ulsten sweating profusely to make a mere spike. But knowing the forge masters had crossed the sea to arrive here about a hundred years ago, she thought she might have misunderstood their work.

Ulsten glanced at Isolde, who silently observed his work. If it were anyone else, he might have told them off, but he couldn’t do that to an inquisitor.

Finally, unable to bear it, he spoke up.

“If you have something to say, then say it.”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing major. I just couldn’t pass by without watching a forge master at work. Am I intruding, perhaps?”

“Hmm, no. This is akin to self-discipline and prayer.”

Forge masters are both blacksmiths and priests of the World’s Forge Church. For them, this kind of forging is as much a ritual as morning prayers. Just as priests of the Codex of Light light candles on the altar before praying, they ignite the forge and hammer metal.

Ulsten glanced at Isolde and said,

“If you have nothing else to say, then I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of person is the Grail Knight? I thought I’d meet him soon after returning to the monastery, but it’s hard even to see his face. Is his injury that severe? I heard he even defeated an angel.”

“Ah, if you mean Isaac…,”

Isolde began to talk about Isaac but then hesitated. Although she hadn’t spent a long time with Isaac, she was probably the person in the estate with the longest acquaintance with him.

Isolde thought she had seen the true side of Isaac at the Ariet Monastery, but recently, she found it hard to understand him.

Stammering, Isolde managed to say something that only someone who had met him or knew him could say.

“He’s handsome?”

“…Is that all? It seems everyone I meet mentions that, including Eidan.”