Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 176



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Episode 176 The sound of war approaching (1)

The treasure trove was a mess, but it was quickly put under control as Morse brought his soldiers down from the ground. Isaac instructed them not to approach, but they could not stay still when an earthquake occurred while the king went down with them.

Fortunately, they came after the situation was over, so they didn’t see anything.

‘If only Ethelred and Rosalind would keep their mouths shut.’

Isaac thought as he looked back on his fight. The decisive fight against the Green Knight was unlikely to have been revealed thanks to him fighting wrapped in color, but it was caught that he had deformed his hands trying to break the space for the referee.

Neither of them seemed to have the intention to do so, but you never know.

And then there was another person with a problem.

“Did you find Sir Sidric?”

“yes… … .”

Heshabel answered in a depressed voice. After the battle, Hesabel tried to completely subdue him, but lost when the ceiling collapsed due to the fight between Isaac and the Green Knight. Isaac thought that it would have been difficult for Hesabel to subdue him unless he killed Sidrik anyway, so he didn’t care.

“Instead, there was something written in blood left on the floor.”

“writing?”

Isaac looked at the spot that Hezabel had pointed to. The writing that seemed to be written in oozing blood was as gruesome as a warning of a curse.

“… … “See you again?”

“Does this mean you will take revenge?”

Isaac thought it was highly likely, but when he saw Sidrik’s attitude, he thought there were other possibilities. He may be writing a message not to himself, but to Hesabel.

It was a useless idea, but Isaac decided to find a way to tame this sword master the next time he saw him again.

Excluding sword masters who were already affiliated or crazy, the only free sword master worth keeping around was Sidric. There will no longer be a need for a Sword Master on Salt Ain Island.

Isaac thought as he watched Rosalind and Ethelred being carried out.

***

“I intend to grant autonomy to Salt Ain.”

Ethelred spoke to the subjects surrounding her on the bed. The nobles, including Mors, were agitated and agitated, but only Isaac remained quiet.

It was something I had already expected. No, that was what he suggested.

Salt Ain and Elil Kingdom share the same language and faith, but because they are remote stone islands, there is a gap in their own culture and history. Moreover, since something close to a massacre occurred just a few years ago, it was impossible to just insist on a merger.

So Isaac proposed a type of peace that had never existed before in the Kingdom of Elil.

“Your Majesty, if you grant autonomy to Salt Ain, you will send the wrong signal to the rebels… … .”

“So I plan to grant them autonomy as well.”

Ethelred glanced at her subjects and continued.

“From now on, the Kingdom of Elil will become a united kingdom.”

United Kingdom of Elil.

It may sound contrary to Isaac’s suggestion of strong royal power, but sufficient unification can be achieved by taking control of military and divine power. It may not be the best, but it was the only way to create peace while maintaining the faith of Elil.

The king of Elil is recognized as Elil’s representative, and the knights are loyal only to the king. Other autonomous territories maintain their own cultures and institutions.

Of course, this system is not perfect.

First of all, in the Kingdom of Elil, nobles are likely to be ‘the strongest knights in the region.’ In a situation where knights and nobles could not be clearly distinguished, this system also meant that ‘all nobles must be unconditionally loyal to the king.’

Of course, nobles would find it undesirable.

Because it is a system that violates the idea that ‘the strong decide everything’, which is the basis of the Elil Kingdom. Ultimately, if the king fails to maintain his charisma, the entire system will immediately collapse.

Then war breaks out again, and it repeats.

Therefore, by giving the bait of a united kingdom, Isaac actually planned to change the logic of ‘the strong decide everything’ to ‘the king decides everything’. The king must be an unconditional strongman, a dictator, a prophet of God, and the nation itself. Below that, the feudal lords in the alliance maintain their autonomy while drinking the sweet honey of absolute kingship.

It could be said to be the birth of the Middle Ages—absolute kingship—militarism—fascism.

Of course, from the perspective of modern man Isaac, it is not a beautiful country. However, it was also the best solution that suited the level of Elil believers.

But there is no perfect paradise anywhere in the world.

Isaac’s suggestion was to choose the best method ‘right now’.

‘The difference in individual power is large, and in a world ruled by angels and gods, democracy is nonsense that can only exist in the Salt Council… … .’

Ethelred’s words had quite a ripple effect on the nobles. Unlike Elil’s logic, where the strong have everything, his words seemed weak. However, unlike the emotional backlash, the nobles felt relief on the side of reason.

‘Is the kingdom’s civil war finally coming to an end?’

They too were exhausted from the long civil war and conflict. Because I couldn’t live forever just playing guessing games. The civil war not only harmed people’s lives, but also hindered overall exchange, growth, and development.

Then Morse opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, are you also stopping the war against Lyanna Georg?”

Lyanna’s status is different from other traitors and independentists. He is powerful enough to threaten Aldeon’s position, and has great support from the people. He was in a good position to aim for the position of ‘King of Elil’, and there was a high possibility that his offer would not be accepted.

“I guess I should make a suggestion first. But if there is a need to show royal dignity, I will not hesitate.”

The nobles were relieved by Ethelred’s simple words.

‘As expected, a civil war with Georg is inevitable… … .’

Isaac thought bitterly.

In order for Ethelred to be recognized as the respected ‘Agent of Elil’, the restoration of the holy land of Elion is necessary. Although Aldeon may be the center of political economy, Elion’s status is completely different.

Above all, there is a need to reestablish the trust that has been suspended for over a hundred years.

Ethelred must become the owner of the shrine. To do this, the Georg family needed to give up their position as guardians of the Holy Land. Civil war will be inevitable. The good news is that Rosalind Saltaine chose neutrality, which is closer to cooperation.

Rosalind no longer seemed to feel hostility toward Ethelred, regardless of what emotional changes she had experienced underground. The old man who had put everything aside now looked like an ordinary noblewoman.

Ethelred also seemed to have undergone a special change underground. Now he was showing extraordinary dignity, as if he had gone from a boy to a king. His near-death experience, seeing an angel before his eyes, and his experience of loving-kindness and forgiveness changed him.

‘Now he looks a little like the king of Elil.’

“I will explain the details later.”

Ethelred sat on the bed and looked at Isaac.

“The Holy Grail Knight, please stay for a moment. “I have something to tell you.”

***

“How about pursuing an engagement with Lyanna Georg?”

Isaac’s eyes darkened.

“… … I am married. your majesty. No, the ceremony hasn’t been held yet… … .”

“no no. I omitted the subject. “I’m asking what it would be like if I married Lyanna.”

Isaac was relieved, but felt his head start spinning in a different direction.

marriage? A king and a traitor?

Then I suddenly remembered Ethelred’s speech at the last banquet.

“… … In your speech the other day, you talked about the King and the Dancer. Do you think Your Majesty has become Elil?”

It’s a random wedding event.

Of course, marriage is a symbol of dramatic reconciliation and one of the ways in which two powerful families unite. But in this situation, marrying Lyanna Georg?

In Isaac’s eyes, he suspected that Ethelred had become so disgusted with knights that she had chosen the option that was as far away from war as possible.

“There is no need to go up that much. “What I referenced was very recent.”

“You were referring to recent events?”

“Lady Rosalind. “I referenced her.”

Isaac closed his mouth. She then recalled a dramatic episode about her marital relationship that she had heard from Morse. The Rosalind pirates mainly operated in the western part of the island… … No, of course the sea enemies also targeted Saltine Island.

To the Margrave of Saltain at the time, pirates were no different from enemies. But it was certainly a dramatic event when his son, Theo Salt Ain, seduced the pirate leader Rosalind and made her his wife.

“… … “Do you want to be like the Theo Saltine of today?”

“Isn’t it a good symbol that you can achieve peace without killing your enemies?”

Ethelred said, touching her forehead tiredly.

“We’ve been killing and trying to kill each other for 700 years. Especially during the reign of the previous king, he did it a lot and was very good at it. But was it successful? “All I see is ruins.”

Isaac also touched his forehead.

That is correct. But contrary to Ethelred’s concerns, Isaac was truly confident that he would succeed. Of course, the blood will turn into mud and many people will die.

But it was the only way Isaac knew.

So I couldn’t help but be swayed by Ethelred’s words.

‘What if it succeeds?’

The reason why civil war was inevitable was because Ethelred had to become the owner of the Holy Land. However, if the two families merge, the reason for a civil war disappears. What remains is the question of how tolerant Lyanna will be, but I decided to leave this to Ethelred.

Thinking like that gave me a little bit of hope.

Anyway, Isaac needs a lot of knights from the Kingdom of Elil. Losing the knights of Georg’s warlord, the most powerful force in the civil war, would mean that more people in the Dawn Army would die.

Ethelred’s choice was also the best for Isaac.

“And actually… … It’s not a sudden thing. “Lyanna Georg and I were engaged to be engaged in the past.”

“what… … ?! No, damn it. okay. “Maybe so.”

As always, Nameless Chaos is not a game that explains the setting in detail. Players can only guess from the flavor text scattered throughout the game.

If you think about it, it is not surprising that the most powerful warlords and royal families in the kingdom are related by blood. In particular, if it was Lianna, she was the eldest daughter of the Georg family and would have had the talent of a sword master, so incorporating her into the royal family was the best policy.

The only problem is that the little fiancés are now traitors and kings.

“Of course, this is a story that came out when I was a baby. The moment Pius Georg died and Lyanna unilaterally declared her family succession without even swearing her allegiance, it was a disaster. But to be exact, I haven’t heard an official declaration of breakup.”

Isaac suddenly had a doubt.

“Do you by any chance have personal feelings for Lyanna Georg?”

“No way? She is 5 years older than me. I’ve seen her face a few times, but she’s more like a sister than a lover. “When she was young, she broke my teeth or my arm because of her swordsmanship training.”

Ethelred muttered as if her teeth were shaking.

Isaac could tell that Ethelred didn’t just choose because she didn’t want to see blood. In his own way, he came to a conclusion after much agony.

How to achieve peace without fighting.

‘Will it work?’

In the game, the two are enemies. The protagonist can even choose one of the two and make him king. Sitting on the throne is one thing. There was no such thing as a marriage route.

To Lyanna, the Aldeon royal family is her father’s enemy, and to Ethelred, warlord Georg is a threatening traitor. One of the two had to end.

“Then what does the speech you gave earlier and this meeting mean?”

“In fact, I never said a word about destroying Georg.”

Isaac was shocked once again.

“Have you been thinking about it since then? “It wasn’t something you suddenly thought of in the first place.”

“This is one of the ways that came to mind as I was thinking about ways to end this civil war. I had put it aside because I thought it had no chance, but after going through something like this, I thought, what can’t be done? Who would have thought reconciliation with Salt Ain was possible?”

Ethelred smiled shyly and continued.

“And what I said then was actually with Prince Yeomyeong in mind. “You wouldn’t help out for free either.”

I will recover the Holy Land, the Holy Sword, and the Holy Grail and complete the achievement of returning Elil.

Ethelred had declared so.

This is not a light-hearted, flashy rhetoric, but a genuine intention to achieve it. Although Elil’s return was the final victory condition of the Elil faith route, Isaac was surprised to learn that Ethelred truly thought so.

“The nobles must be thinking that they will go to war with Lyanna.”

“It was just a morale booster for solidarity. If you tell them to go to war with Georg’s rebels, they won’t be willing. “Isn’t life precious to everyone?”

These remarks revealed that Ethelred did not fully understand the Knights of Elil. When they fall into the excitement of war, the Elil Knights have no hesitation in attacking even if their enemy is an angel.

It is the Elil knights who kill the most and die the most on the battlefield.

After thinking for a long time, Isaac opened his mouth.

“You are going through a difficult path.”

“It may be impossible, but reaching out first is not the only bad thing… … .”

“No, it’s difficult, but I think it’s possible.”

“Is it possible?”

Isaac nodded.

Of course, by carefully coordinating the relationship between the two people, they somehow create a sweet atmosphere, and a romance where love and attachment blooms… … I wasn’t planning on making something like that.

Isaac’s method was quite the opposite. Bloody and bloody tension.

“This marriage is not just for two people. “I don’t know what Lyanna means yet, but it’s not something that can be done just because the two of you want to do it.”

For this marriage to succeed, the entire kingdom must agree.

It was not something that could be done with the determination of just a few people.

“War will be necessary anyway.”

Bloodshed and violence create love.

The love that sprouts amidst tension and hatred is naturally strong.