Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 178



Only Krnovel

Episode 178 The sound of war approaching (3)

The woman was drifting.

To be precise, it was a funeral that would never end. Her small ferry was loaded with dry firewood, and the smell of slowly volatilizing oil wafted from her firewood. The woman lay on the firewood, which could burn at any time with just a small spark, and stared endlessly at the cloudy sky.

Tootuk, tootuk.

Then raindrops fell on her cheek. The woman who was caressing her face slowly raised her body. As she stared blankly at the lake, it was only when she saw the numerous ripples that had begun to embroider the surface of her water that she realized that her ritual had ended without success.

‘Has the spring rainy season begun? ‘Fail again this time.’

The ferryboat that started getting wet from the rain will no longer catch fire. The woman picked up the neglected oar and started rowing. As soon as her slender but long arms set the oars in motion, the boat went straight on the water.

Although she had been drifting on the lake for over a week, it took less than half a day for her to reach the shore.

Sigh. A group of people had already come out to meet us at the ferry dock by the lake. The moment the woman got off the boat and stepped into the lake, there was a loud cracking sound and the turbulent surface of the lake froze.

The woman stepped onto the ground, stepping on the frozen surface. Soon the knights came running and lifted her boat up to the ground and gave the woman water and warm towels.

“Matriarch Lyanna.”

As Lyanna was washing her face for the first time in a week, someone spoke to her. A man with a short beard and a solid look that looked like he was carved from granite greeted her politely.

“Uncle, why are you coming here to meet me?”

“As I said, you can just call me Billon.”

Lyanna nodded silently at Bilon’s words. Although she is her father’s brother, Lyanna rarely saw Bilon until she became the head of Georg’s army. This was because, like most of Georg’s clan, she was one of the clans who had lived scattered and gathered together after hearing the sad news.

Among them, Billon was a veteran who traveled widely and gained experience, having participated in the 12th Dawn Army across the sea. The reason he returned after his wanderings was because of the death of his older brother, Pius Georg.

Upon his return, Bilon put to rest various opinions within the family and treated Lyanna with contempt as the head of the family. This was partly because she was her sword master, but her desire for revenge against the royal family of Aldeon may also have had an impact.

Bilon looked at Lyanna and then turned his attention to the ferry boat loaded with firewood.

“It looks like this ritual also failed.”

“Umm, yes. “I was looking forward to it because the Grail Knight said it was time for Elil to break his silence, but he didn’t say anything else.”

“What does that heathen foreigner know? “I guess I just said it out loud.”

For the past week, Lyanna has been conducting a ceremony to petition Elil for the oracle. She was given a false funeral, cremated on a boat, and without eating or sleeping, she drifted on the lake around the holy city of Elion and prayed. The purpose was to get as close as possible to the afterlife through her near-death experience, which simulated her own death.

It could be said to be the most extreme ritual that can be performed, excluding the sacrificial ritual.

Originally, if you were a sword master, you could receive Elil’s oracle without having to go through such an extreme ceremony, but it has been over 100 years since Elil remained silent. It still seemed like a long way to break the silence.

This time too, Elil did not give an answer.

“Didn’t the angel say anything?”

“The Lady of the Lake and the wizard Calurien came to visit. “King Aldeon told us about his visit to the Divide Ceremony, but he advised us both to do it in moderation and return.”

I thought that if I had found the division ceremony, whether it was Elil or an angel, there would be a different reaction. But like countless failed rituals before, she heard nothing special this time.

Lyanna continued as if something suddenly occurred to her.

“Now that I think about it, Kalurien also advised us to protect the holy land of Elion tightly because it is under threat. “It’s the same as before, but are there any signs of something different?”

Lyanna’s words caused a stir among the knights. Bilon’s solemn face shook like a heavy stone. Lyanna could tell by the mood spreading between them that something different was happening.

“It seems something happened while I was performing the ritual.”

“Aldeon the usurper has sent a messenger. “He proposed peace negotiations.”

Lyanna was silent for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“So?”

“Aldeon united all the nobles of the Kingdom of Elil, and even somehow subdued Saltain’s widow. And that’s by relying on the power of foreign pagans! “Now that we’re the only ones left, what would be the purpose of making an offer of peace in this situation?”

“Then you kicked me out without even talking?”

“I cut off the messenger’s head and sent it to him. “It’s obvious the intent is to insult, so there’s no need to dirty your eyes.”

Lyanna fell silent for a moment.

“Cut off the messenger’s head?”

Lyanna also knew very well what that meant. This means that it will now be difficult for dialogue or negotiations to take place between the two powers.

If a fight comes, he has no intention of avoiding it, but showing generosity is also a virtue of a knight.

Bilon even blocked that road.

“I understand that I am the head of the Georg family, but since when has your uncle been handling diplomacy as he pleases?”

“The head of the family was conducting a ritual, so we held a clan meeting and made a decision.”

It is a decision not only by Bilon himself but also by the elders of Georg’s clan.

After saying that, Lyanna was speechless. Although she respected her elders and worshiped chivalric traditions, she could not withstand the pressure of her blood relatives.

However, while he is crossing the line between life and death on the lake in order to resolve the issue as peacefully as possible, the adults are beating the messenger’s head. The urge to yell right away rose up.

At that time, Bilon spoke as if persuading Lyanna.

“Think about it. Lady Lyanna. Why did the bright angel Calurien bother to ask us to protect the sacred land of Elion because it was under threat? “The only ones threatening Elion now are the Aldeon army.”

Lyanna was startled when the angel’s name was mentioned. For Lyanna, who respected the decisions of her clan’s elders, the angel’s words were nothing short of a categorical command that must be carried out.

“It is a fight that cannot be avoided anyway. If we create an atmosphere of peace for no reason and the conscripts with weak fighting spirit become agitated, we will be in trouble. “Maybe they were talking about peace negotiations for this purpose.”

Bilon muttered with his eyes burning with revenge.

“Under Elil’s protection, it is time for our clan to regain its lost honor.”

Lyanna is not stupid.

I knew very well that this cruel act of Bilon was motivated by a desire for revenge for his brother’s death. He was just wrapping up his petty anger by fitting it into the angel’s command he had just heard.

But Lyanna had no logic to refute that statement.

As Billon said, the only opponent who could threaten the Holy Land of Elion was Aldeon, who had formed an army and said he would immediately return the division ceremony.

“all right. But don’t do that next time. “I make the decision to shed blood.”

“I will be careful.”

Lyanna smelled the scent of blood floating in the air.

It seemed as if the silent Elil was right next to her.

‘ah… … Dad told me to avoid civil war as much as possible.’

While Elil is silent and the angels stand by, their followers are greedy for each other’s blood.

In the meantime, what she had to do wasn’t complicated.

Kill as many enemies as possible.

As a loyal follower of Elil, she decided not to avoid the war that had already begun.

***

“your majesty!”

News suddenly reached Ethelred, who was preparing for the expedition. It was news that Georg’s army, who had been hiding in the holy land of Elion, was suddenly attacking various parts of the Kingdom of Elil.

“what? “Suddenly now?”

“Dozens to hundreds of knights are dividing up and attacking the kingdom. The Aldeon Knights waiting at the border quickly attempted a counterattack, but they escaped too quickly… … .”

Those who were shaken by the messenger’s news were the nobles who had vacated their territory and left. The closer the nobles were to the Holy Land of Elion, the more agitated they became. The nobles were even more embarrassed when a messenger reported that the territories being attacked by Georg’s army would break through the border territories and even penetrate the central region.

“sorry. “Your Majesty, if you want to send support, I think we will have to comfort our territory first.”

“I have nothing to say. Your Majesty, as soon as we get the situation under control… … .”

The nobles left Aldeon with bewildered expressions, asking for understanding. Nobles near the affected area had not been attacked yet, but had to leave to prepare.

No matter how loyal the knights were to the king, they could not stand by and watch their families, relatives, and residents of their territory being attacked. Ethel Red also knew that he could not keep them by force, so he had no choice but to let them go.

Of course, when they returned, Georg’s knights would have already withdrawn or broken through. Isaac realized that Georg had used his brain well.

‘Are they using tactics similar to a blitzkrieg? Of course, I thought the decisive battle would take place in the fortress of Elion, the holy land.’

There was no occupation or destruction of the territory. He simply attacked the soldiers staying there, set fire to the mansion, and lightly looted it.

But with that alone, Isaac and Ethelred were hit with a blow.

With only a small number of knights, Georg’s army succeeded in scattering many of the nobles who had gathered in Aldeon. It was to the point where I suspected that the fact that they had remained motionless despite the news that the split ceremony had been revealed in the first place had caused them to let down their guard for this moment.

“… … “The only thing we were better than Georg’s army was our numerical superiority, but with this attack, 1/3 of them escaped.”

Ethelred muttered, counting the strength of the knights and soldiers who escaped in droves. As the numbers changed rapidly, he had to reorganize his strategy, logistics, and command system. Although the number of soldiers and knights was still greater than that of Georg’s army, it was difficult to say that they were superior in terms of quality.

“Still, if this many knights escaped, the holy land of Elyon would be empty. “Why don’t we move the army quickly and attack Elion now?”

“sorry. your majesty. The spring rainy season has already begun around Elion. No matter how fast we go, we won’t be faster than Georg’s returning cavalry.”

Morse gritted his teeth and muttered.

“More than anything, there is no report that the traitorous leader Lyanna has been found. There is a high probability that they are guarding Elion Fortress. Then, it will take a long time to attack, and if there is a long delay, we may be surrounded by Georg’s army returning after attacking the territories.”

“How to destroy each individual?”

“That seems like the best thing for now. Since they are moving so quickly, there is no way that supply will be easy. Besides, it’s spring.”

In spring, when the food stored during the winter runs out, there is not much to loot. Morse pointed out that point and pointed out several places on the map.

“I think we should start by hunting down Georg’s knights scattered throughout the kingdom. “It would be foolish to dissipate power on your own.”

Of course, no one here thought that Lyanna was doing something truly foolish. She was just bragging to relieve the discomfort of being beaten. They had not yet fully figured out her number.

But Isaac had no desire to be dragged around chasing runaway rats.

“It would be better to go to Elion.”

At Isaac’s words, all the knights in the conference room looked at him.

“Holy Grail Knight, as I told you, if that happens, there is a possibility of being surrounded… … .”

“That means the enemies are hot on our heels. It is better for our enemies to lose their strength by chasing us than for us to lose our strength by chasing after them. And when a situation arises where we are surrounded, that is when the knights of the Kingdom of Elil will stand up.”

“What is that… … iced coffee! Are you talking about the knights who returned to the territory this time?”

Even though the Aldeon army is surrounded back and forth by Lyanna and Georg’s army at Elion Fortress, it is not the end. Because the territory was attacked, angry knights would be chasing after Georg’s cavalry, gnashing their teeth.

If you stay still after being beaten, you are not an Elil knight.

“If that happens, it’s not us who will be surrounded, but Georg’s army. “What Georg wants is for us to be dragged along by the other party’s plans.”

It’s like a double sandwich.

All the knights in the conference room were convinced by Isaac’s words. But there were also parts they couldn’t fully understand.

“If Lyanna Georg attacks us, won’t our battle lines be in jeopardy?”

“I just need to respond.”

Isaac answered calmly.

Fighting Sidrik was a proper shot in the arm for Isaac. Although he performed better than expected, he was confident enough to face Lyanna unless she was significantly stronger than Cidrek.

At least it will be possible to endure without major damage.

And now, the plan laid out by Isaac was in progress around the Holy Land of Elion. It was something that could not be said to Ethelred and the other Elil knights, but it was enough to shake Georg’s army when the time came.

Isaac moved the boar-shaped horse on the map closer to the holy land of Elion.

Right in front of it was a wolf-shaped horse.

“The only way to minimize damage is to occupy Elyon as quickly as possible. It would be better if Lyanna came out. “The enemy is a group that relies only on Rihanna’s charisma, so if we can catch her, her whole battle will be decided.”