Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 104



Only Krnovel

Episode 104 Things buried in the dark (3)

After confirming that Catelyn was fully prepared and willing, Isaac moved on to the next business.

“You probably forgot what I asked you to do because of building a base, right?”

“You mean this? “It’s already ready.”

What Catelyn produced while saying that was a fairly thick bundle of documents. When I looked at the first chapter, the title caught my eye.

Financial statements of transactions related to Hendlock Estate.

“Recently, there were signs that he might turn into a bad debtor, so he was in the process of being liquidated separately. If it had gone bankrupt, it would have been a big problem for our top management as well. Fortunately, Isaac took over and preserved some of it… … .”

The documents contained information about what items Rishen Hendlock and Kyle Hendlock had brought into and out of the estate. Sensitive items such as weapons may have been smuggled through the Salt Council, but there are some items whose demand cannot be met through smuggling. Those things would have been obtained through the top of the golden idol.

“I didn’t really notice anything strange when I was selling it, but as I was organizing it, I started to notice subtle things. Even though there was a mine, we bought a lot of iron, and we also bought more food that could be stored for a long time than we needed.”

These materials will also be secretly stored somewhere in the territory.

Isaac was planning to steal the acorns that the previous lords had carefully collected.

***

But it wasn’t just those who were dazzled by Isaac’s charm.

Isolde was loading her horse to leave the territory of Isacrea. He decided to keep Isaac by his side and keep an eye on him, but he had to report face-to-face to his superiors first.

‘How do I report…? … .’

If you report that you are innocent, there will be no reason to continue carrying out orders, and if you honestly report that the tentacles and circumstances serving an evil heretical religion have been discovered, the Holy Knights will be dispatched immediately. Somewhere in between, I had to look for the subtle word ‘clean but questionable’ and report it.

It wasn’t easy.

If she makes a mistake and the Code of Light collides with Isaac, the situation will become irreversible.

Now Isaac was doing good while remaining faithful to the doctrine of the Code of Light. Perhaps his faith is generous enough to embrace even the Code of Light.

But there was no such generosity in the Code of Light.

If the Code of Light decides to reject Isaac, they will soon face a terrible disaster.

“Inquisitor Isolde.”

At that time, Isolde turned her head when she heard someone calling her.

A skinny young priest was looking at her with a nervous look on his face. Isol De did not remember the priest’s name, but she knew that his expression was not because he disliked her, but that it was just the way it was.

“Priest.”

“I came here because I had something to tell you since you are leaving.”

“If you’re serious about it… … .”

Isolde was nervous for no reason and blurted out her words. As she frequented monasteries and temples where only young men were present, her appearance often attracted unnecessary attention. Such a surprise attack by her confessors was more inconvenient to her than the interrogation of her heresy.

“It’s a story about the Holy Grail Knight. “I understand that you have been staying here to observe the Holy Grail Knight. Did you notice anything?”

“Ahhh. okay. “Thank goodness.”

“yes? Are you glad?”

“no. I was thinking about something else. But what about the Holy Grail Knight? Is there any problem?”

The priest looked around carefully and spoke privately.

“Heretic Questioner, don’t you have any suspicions about the person called the Holy Grail Knight?”

“… … .”

Isolde turned her gaze into the air, feeling difficult to explain. However, the priest seemed to have interpreted it differently and was willing to continue speaking.

“A young paladin suddenly appeared one day. In fact, I doubt he is even a paladin. Director Rottenhammer has certified it, but what can you say about someone who has not received proper education? “An orphan who suddenly appears and doesn’t even know his parents becomes a Holy Knight as soon as he becomes an adult?”

“Have you not actually achieved something worthy of it?”

“That’s the problem. It is said that the Holy Grail Knight eluded the Walaika headhunters, healed the minds of corrupted merchants in Soeur, and even defeated an angel there. But has anyone witnessed it?”

This was something the Inquisitors were also concerned about.

It is true that Isaac achieved many achievements as a Holy Knight, and his swordsmanship skills were also great, but almost no one saw him in person. So he ordered Isolde to find out more about miracles. The result, as expected, was that Isaac had reasons to hide the miracle.

“But there are many witnesses to the defeat of the angel.”

“I have a hypothesis that provides a reasonable explanation for that too!”

“Hypothesis?”

“yes! “The assumption is that the Red Grail and the Holy Grail Knight collaborated from the beginning.”

The priest spoke passionately as if he was quite confident in his thoughts.

“As you know, the Red Grail is a master of intrigue. Needless to say, the Red Flesh Prophet. They deliberately pretended to be defeated in order to infiltrate the Holy Grail Knight deeper into our church! “It would be easier for a church saint to use it than a border lord!”

Although Isolde felt confused, she felt that the priest’s words reflected a certain voice within the church.

The voices of those who are reluctant to see change coming from outside.

“Even look at what he did after he took over the territory! It is said that heretics are brought into the monastery, assets are released to make the people of the territory lazy, and even the Barbarians are put under the sword! “Does this make sense?”

The priest’s passionate speech contained one-sided antipathy.

Isolde sensed that the more people were deceived by Isaac, the more people would feel rejected.

It was not a rational judgment, but rather an instinctive backlash that felt rejected by the trend. Even if Isaac became an adult and completely sided with the church, it wouldn’t change much.

But anyway, I noticed that what the priest was saying now was only context and speculation instead of logic or evidence. And that this accusation is not really to protect the faith, but out of jealousy.

Isolde decided to moderately appease the priest who had become needlessly sharp out of sheer dissatisfaction.

“It’s still just speculation. I’m looking into it more, so priest, please pay attention to doctrine and taking care of difficult believers. This territory has been contaminated by the Red Grail faith until recently… … .”

“But look at how he looks! Isn’t this a pretty face that the Red Grail would like! Clearly the male prostitute of the Red Grail… … .”

Wow!

The priest’s face turned.

The priest looked at Isolde with a puzzled expression. Isolde wondered why there were handprints on his face, and only realized it when she looked at her own hands. And he thought.

‘I don’t feel like I hit him because I hit him without knowing.’

“What is this…?” … .”

The moment the priest was about to protest, Isolde clenched her fist and punched the priest once more on the bridge of the nose. The priest let out a strange groan and bowed his back. However, Isolde did not stop there, but grabbed the priest by his hair and lifted him up.

“Priests.”

“Hike, hee.”

As Isolde whispered quietly, the priest took a deep breath. Only then did he realize once again who the person in front of him was.

She was a quiet and gentle-looking woman, but after all, she was an Inquisitor. Those who squeeze out the truth with swords and torture in a border where wild Barbarians and evil heretics roam.

The priest, who had never thought that the torture awls and hammers would be aimed at him, found it difficult to breathe just by looking into his eyes.

“Now you are preparing to be candidated as a saint by Bishop Juan, and you are accusing Lord Isacrea, who was personally awarded the title of Viscount by the Marquis of Lyon. “He was appointed as a Holy Knight by Leader Rottenhammer, and I, Isolet Brandt, was unable to find any clear evidence even though I personally investigated it as an Inquisitor.”

“Huh, ah, uh… … .”

“Until now, I tolerated this because I thought it was something I could criticize as a believer, but it is difficult to tolerate personal attacks. “Do you mind if I tell Lord Isacrea’s guarantors what I just said?”

Only then did the priest seem to come to his senses. They were too big men to start a fight out of temporary jealousy. Isn’t she, even Isolde, the daughter of Duke Brandt?

It was a family that could not be ignored even in the Gertonia Empire, where the priests had great power.

“Oh, uh, I guess I was wrong! “Why are you mistaken?”

“okay. Why did you have that illusion?”

“Well, seeing the Holy Grail Knight succeed at such a young age made me emotional… … .”

“no. The priest does not harbor such evil thoughts. “Don’t such words harm my character as a priest?”

“Well, then… … ?”

“Let’s pretend I fell. “I fell and my head was spinning.”

Isolde said and made the priest kneel. Then he pushed his face close to the ground.

“I think I fell. “Okay?”

When the priest realized what he was saying, he trembled and slammed his face into the ground with all his might. After repeating this several times, Isolde grabbed his shoulder and lifted him up again. His face was a mess of dirt and blood, but it was a wound that would heal quickly anyway with a miracle cure.

Isolde didn’t like that.

The Code of Light grants miracles even to those who are not qualified to do so, as long as they show their faith. Isolde thought that miracles were not something to be given so trivially.

If anyone uses a miracle, like Isaac… … .

“Then don’t fall again. “Priest.”

“Yes, yes. Ah, I understand.”

As soon as Isolde released the priest, he rushed out. Isol De let out a long sigh as she watched the priest leave.

‘… … ‘You overreacted needlessly.’

This would silence the priest, but I felt like it was pointless. Isaac himself would not have gone this far.

‘He must have convinced them with plausible words or bribed them to get them on his side. ‘He’s not such an innocent paladin.’

In fact, if Isaac had been in this situation without any witnesses, there would have been no way for the priest to survive.

It was a much more moderate treatment compared to Isaac, but Isolde, who did not know it, was left with the guilt of having beaten the priest and even harmed herself.

But I had an ominous feeling that if something like this happened again, I would act the same way.

***

As summer deepened and fall arrived, the situation in the territory became completely stable.

Although sowing was late and the land was depleted, the Isacrea territory was on the verge of an unprecedented bumper harvest. It was a dazzling achievement compared to other territories that had wasted land because of Lorecus. It was the result of Isaac’s miracle ritual maximizing value from the lowest to the highest level of the ecosystem.

In addition, the western road, which had been blocked by a landslide, was cleared through construction, opening a new road. Upon hearing the news that a new path over the mountain range had been opened, other merchants in addition to the Golden Idol Merchant Association also began looking for the Isacrea Territory.

Isaac also did not sit still in the manor. He collected information about strange phenomena and monsters around the territory and continued collecting sacred objects under the pretense of subjugation.

Although it is not always successful and is not of great value, I have found and returned several sacred relics related to the Code of Light.

[The Code of Light blesses your noble journey.]

[Faith increases.]

[The ability to protect the opposite sex increases.]

Instead of quietly returning the holy relic to the church, Isaac returned it to the monastery within the Isacrea territory. Anyway, since the Code of Light priests stay here and it is treated as a Code of Light monastery, it was able to receive the return effect. It wasn’t a powerful holy relic, but it was useful because you could take it out and use it whenever you wanted.

‘It would be nice to store other religious relics like this.’

Of course, even if they turn a blind eye to heretical believers coming and going, it would be difficult for priests to tolerate the establishment of shrines or temples of other religions.

Despite his disappointment, Isaac decided to be satisfied with just returning the Code of Light relics for now.

‘The territory seems to be stable now.’

During this expedition, the territory was deliberately evacuated without giving any orders, but there were no problems. A few minor issues arose, but they were all taken care of by Kyle and Jihillet.

Since the manual had already been created, there was no longer any chance of the territory collapsing due to an unexpected situation. If the situation is urgent, Kyle’s will will be conveyed directly.

Just when I thought it would be a good idea to take my eyes off the estate, a letter arrived from Isaac.

To summarize the main points without a lot of rhetoric, it was as follows.

‘I want you to come to Norden Port immediately’

It was a summons from Bishop Juan Riard.