Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 169



Only Krnovel

Episode 169 Muster Order (3)

As the excitement of the speech subsided, the hall was filled with excitement about war.

Of course, the anxiety of having to deal with ‘that’ Georg still lingered here and there. However, in Elil, this uncivilized ‘minority’ had no choice but to remain silent and watch the situation unfold from a corner.

Especially if it is a royal family full of knight-turned nobles.

Either way, the meeting was soon started by loud militants.

These people, who were more like knights than nobles and bandit leaders rather than knights, led the meeting with one loud voice without any plausible opening remarks or declarations.

“Of course we should take the lead!”

thud. A large nobleman shouted as he got up from an argument with someone. The sound drew the attention of the nobles towards that direction. The large nobleman, who seemed to have raised his voice while arguing with other nobles, continued speaking with a red face.

“If we, the Galveard Knights, do not crush the enemy from the center, who will? Unless it’s the heavy armored knights of our territory!”

“Are those sluggish pigs any match for Georg’s knights, you fool? “The traitors of Geokr will strike your grunts down like twisting a child’s wrist!”

The person who refuted it was the one-eyed female noblewoman who had been arguing with him.

Isaac was first named Big and One-Eyed.

“The vanguard is our Hilsner Knights! The way is for our knights to intercept the enemy with quick guerrilla abilities and disperse their forces! You guys follow after that and sort it out!”

At that time, a nobleman with a handsome mustache who was away intervened angrily.

“What! Are you talking about the vanguard while ignoring our Carvaner heavy armored infantry? “If you stand as solid as a piece of iron and push the enemy, you will know that no one will dare to deal with you!”

Isaac gave him the name Mustache, but soon, as people began to argue that their knights were the perfect vanguard, he gave up on giving him a nickname and just held his head.

If it had been the Gertonian Empire, it would have been the heroic minority who wanted to be the vanguard, and the rest would have been thinking about how to avoid fighting as much as possible and return to their original territory. That was a headache as is, but the headache was even worse in the fact that everyone in Elil Kingdom wanted to be the head.

“It’s nice to see everyone’s bravery.”

At that time, Ethelred opened her mouth. The nobles tried to raise their voices but then fell silent.

‘Big Man’ quickly told Ethelred.

“Your Majesty, please lead our knights in the vanguard!”

“The Galveard Knights are worthy of being at the forefront.”

The moment the big man’s face turned bright red, Ethelred continued.

“However, on the other side, Lyanna will probably be the leader. “Is there a knight in your knighthood who can compete with the Sword Master?”

The big man closed his mouth and became quiet. It’s not like they’ve forgotten that someone has to confront Lyanna. Her desire to achieve merit overcame her fear.

“God will deal with you! “I will cut off Lyanna’s head and offer it to you!”

“… … I value bravery highly, but I am reluctant to take on reckless challenges. “First of all, I want to establish a frontline force that can deal with Lyanna.”

The drivers who were talking about the difficult conditions became quiet.

The power that can deal with the Sword Master is, of course, the Sword Master.

Sword Masters, who are the most powerful priests and paladins in the Elil faith, are not only rare, but usually prefer to wander and train rather than being tied to a family. Since you will be treated well wherever you go, you do not feel the need to be tied down to one place.

Currently, Lyanna Georg is the only sword master who openly reveals his affiliation.

‘I wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t for my father.’

“If you don’t have one, I’d like to recommend one.”

Ethelred stood up and pointed at Isaac.

“Holy Grail Knight Isaac Isacrea, he is also a Sword Master.”

“no way!”

Astonishment and shock spread among the nobles. Known as a member of the Code of Light, he was concerned about whether it would be okay for the news that he used sword techniques to spread so freely, but there was nothing he could do now.

I had to somehow make a big contribution in this expedition and use the fact that I ‘received a blessing from Elil’ as an excuse. Even though the times were reversed, it would be difficult for even the Code of Light to know what happened across the sea.

At that time, ‘One-eyed’ got angry and shouted.

“A pagan is leading the expedition to restore the Holy Land! This is unacceptable!”

Isaac was appalled at the sight of him blatantly disobeying the king’s orders, but this was the current state of the Kingdom of Elil. Even other nobles seemed to agree.

People in this neighborhood were like that from the beginning. That doesn’t mean it isn’t. The only way to get it wrong was to beat it and make it listen.

In any case, in order to achieve Ethelred’s goal, Isaac had to be at the forefront, so there was no choice but to make One-Eyed shut up.

Isaac trudged to the front, carrying items for such occasions. The one-eyed man flinched when his eyes met, but glared back, baring his teeth as if snarling.

thud. Isaac put down a large cloth-wrapped object in front of her.

“… … what?”

“It will replace the flag that will be hung on the vanguard.”

One-eyed looked at Isaac suspiciously, then took out a dagger and cut the knot of the cloth wrapped around him. As the cloth slid down, the items inside appeared.

Soon, groans of astonishment and shock spread among the audience.

“It’s the head of the Hecatli witch. “I cut it with my own hands a while ago.”

Although her face was a mess from having been stepped on until the underside of her nose was crushed, the one-eyed man was speechless when he saw the large head, which was half a tree and half an old woman’s head.

They also knew how difficult it would be to catch the Hecatli witch.

“Not only that, I banished the Red Flesh Prophet and cut down the Drowned King. “I don’t know how strong Lyanna will be, but I wonder if she will be the best than me.”

“but… … .”

It came out, ‘but’.

They are a people who cannot be persuaded with words. But there was a much simpler and easier method of persuasion.

Sometimes, Isaac also needed to persuade the other person by adjusting to their level.

“If you don’t really like it, I’ll leave the decision to Elil.”

It meant that if you are dissatisfied, come out and fight.

Isaac knew how much his achievements were exaggerated and widely known as he crossed the ocean.

Therefore, I thought that the strong overpowering of the witch’s head and the charisma of the Nephilim would end the debate.

However, as soon as Isaac finished speaking, nobles everywhere jumped to their feet.

“Horn Galvard, son of Dever! “I challenge the Holy Grail Knight!”

“Dalton, commander of the Carbanner heavy infantry, teachings from the famous Holy Grail Knight… … .”

‘this.’

Even though he suffered a series of duels from the first night he arrived at Port Aldeon, he underestimated the madness of the Elil believers.

These people are not attacking Isaac because they underestimate his skills. He realized that just being able to fight swords with him was a tremendous honor.

Isaac realized that he would be tired all day today.

***

“I was left in charge of the vanguard. And His Majesty also agreed to take overall command.”

“… … Thank you for your hard work, Grail Knight. “I have entrusted the most important task to you.”

“no. “It’s an experience I need.”

Unity of command was actually the most important condition in this civil war.

When comparing Ethelred’s army and Georg’s army, although the number of knights summoned by Ethelred is much higher, Georg’s side is superior in quality and has high morale. If the command authority was not even integrated, there was a high probability that it would be shattered as soon as it collided.

‘If you can gain command through a duel, it’s cheap.’

It would have been more difficult if it had been the Gertonian Empire. After all kinds of negotiations, threats, appeasement, and bribes, we will be able to raise the same flag.

If Elil was simple, I was glad that it was simple.

However, the potential for conflict was not completely resolved.

“There were nobles who did not join the duel or actively participate in the meeting.”

Ethelred nodded.

“I know who they are. They are nobles who live in Salt Ain or the coastal areas. There are also people who are indebted to the Margrave of Salt Ain. And it may be hard to believe, but doves exist in this country too.”

To be more precise, it would have been more correct to call them ‘supporters of the status quo.’ Some nobles hoped that the Kingdom of Elil would be divided, with neither side taking sides. This was because both the Aldeon royal family and the Georg warlord left them alone so as not to make enemies for no reason.

Thanks to this, nobles enjoyed greater power than ever before in their territories as long as they paid taxes. Although it was largely torn into four parts, it was actually like hundreds of countries.

“And by and large, they are classified as the faction of the Margrave of Saltain. “Theo Salt-Ain declared independence instead of revenge during his lifetime.”

It was a declaration that although they would not abandon the Elil faith, they could not be ruled by the royal family.

Isaac figured that number was about a third of the nobles.

Although their numbers are not small, they are a quiet faction that does not actively express their opinions.

He probably remembers the massacre that took place in Salt Ain.

They just hope that this war will not end with someone’s victory and that the status quo will be maintained.

Isaac rearranged the power structure.

Aldeon, a king faction.

Georg, a traitor.

Salt Ain, a neutral faction.

Salt Ain is at the western end, and Elyon, the holy city that is the center of Georg’s warlord, is to the east. I couldn’t help but feel itchy in the back of my head to abandon Salt Ain. Moreover, looking at the way Lady Rosalind showed her, there was no way she could pass over it quietly.

But all those questions become strange when Rosalind visits Aldeon.

If you really want to force Aldeon to maintain the status quo, it would be better to demonstrate by force in Salt Ain. No matter how royal a family is, it is foolish to fight on both sides of the battle line.

Isaac muttered, tapping the pillar.

“Why did Theo Salt-Ain try to respond to the summons?”

“Well, I don’t know. No one thought he would come… … .”

“Why did Lady Rosalind come here and reveal her hatred?”

Just to ruin integration? To expose the Aldeon royal family’s misdeeds in front of the nobles? To show the victims of Salt Ain and raise awareness among nobles?

Everything was possible. Rosalind was actually risking her life to do this.

But Isaac thought there might be a more important reason.

Even so for Rosalind, other factions do not want to actively fight against the Aldeon royal family. Unlike the islands across the sea, they are on land where they can directly encounter the Aldeon royal family.

In other words, Rosalind has something to shatter Aldeon’s unity beyond the justification of ‘returning the sacred object’.

They were waiting for the moment for it to be revealed.

‘My head hurts.’

I had a lot of worries just thinking about how to deal with Georg while being wary of Salt Ain right now. I didn’t even think about the Salt Ain faction joining hands with Georg to attack Aldeon. Because it is unlikely.

The real worry was ‘willful incompetence’.

They decided to attack Georg together, but suddenly breaking their ranks or retreating could be fatal to Aldeon’s army. Such passive resistance was the most likely.

So Isaac brought up the topic of insurance just in case.

“Are you going to take out Kaldbuch?”

Ethelred looked at Isaac in surprise.

“You mean the holy sword Kaldbuch? Oh, of course I should take it with me, right?”

Holy sword Kaldbuch. It was one of the only three remaining swords used by Elil, and was stored in the underground treasure trove of the Aldeon royal family.

Although it was left somewhat defenseless, no one touched it in the first place because if an unqualified person held it, it would feel the pain of being squeezed throughout the body.

This holy sword, Kaldbuch, was one of the reasons why the Aldeon royal family, which currently had no sword master, could not be underestimated.

“I believe in the Holy Grail Knight, but I guess I can’t leave all the risks to the Holy Grail Knight. And Lyanna will also come out with the holy sword Lumiad. We have no choice but to do our best. Although it may not be a battlefield worthy of the name Kaldbuch… … .”

Ethelred muttered, trying to understand the meaning of the name engraved on the holy sword.

Kaldbuch means justice.

Lumiad, meaning honor.

It is a battle between holy sword and holy sword. If it had been a game, it would have been heartbreaking, but since it was ultimately born out of the tragedy of a civil war, I couldn’t just enjoy it.

‘I don’t know if Ethelred can deal with Lyanna even with the holy sword Kaldbuhra. In the end, I will have to deal with Lyanna… … .’

Although the holy swords each have special abilities, they are also powerful ceremonial catalysts, such as the Split Ceremony. In particular, Kaldbuch had the power to temporarily transform the user into an angel.

Although it is not a Myeongangsa with a personality, but a mechanically moving angel, an angel is an angel.

Depending on how much of that power you accept, it depends on whether you become a powerful swordsman or whether you exert angel-like power. However, unless they are as worthy as a king, many people die before they get there.

However, being a king does not mean that there is no burden.

‘The bones and organs could not handle the strength of the stronger muscles and were crushed to death, probably.’

However, at that level, there would be no need to worry about Ethelred being suddenly killed by someone on the battlefield or having the holy sword taken away by someone. I don’t know if Lyanna retrieves it herself.

Isaac decided to put aside his worries about Aldeon’s army’s weakest points and move on to the next worry.

‘I guess I should meet Lady Rosalind.’