Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 182



Only Krnovel

Episode 182. Battle of Elion (1)

“It’s quiet.”

Ethelred muttered as she and Isaac looked at the Elion Castle built on the side of the lake. The surface of the pure white castle rising above the surface of the lake was full of moss and vines. The fog-shrouded castle in the middle of a rolling lake was mysterious enough in itself, but it was nothing compared to what lay beyond the lake.

“Is that island you see over there the Holy Land of Elion?”

Through the whitish fog, an island like a wall of sharp spears was visible.

Ethelred nodded to Isaac’s question.

“exactly. This is where Elil’s body is buried. “I heard that the lake is open to everyone, but only those who possess the Holy Sword can enter the island itself.”

“Can’t we go by boat?”

“Same. They say that if you don’t enter through the designated door, you’ll end up lost in the fog or stranded on a reef. “There is no way a sacred place could be managed so poorly.”

Ethelred also possesses the holy sword and is the king of Elil, so he is naturally qualified to enter, but he has never set foot in the holy place. This was because the Georg family, the guardians and traitors of the Holy Land, were rejecting his position. Even the process of returning one of the holy swords, the Ritual of Splitting, was being refused.

In order to unify the kingdom, Elil’s oracle must be received and recognized.

If you block it, it will only break and enter. Or will the civil war continue forever?

“Elion Fortress is just a bridgehead to get to the Holy Land. I heard that there is a bridge hidden beneath the surface of the water that leads from Elion Fortress to the Holy Land. So, I heard that those with official access cross that bridge.”

Isaac nodded. It’s true. Isaac is a game too, but he has crossed that bridge before.

“Well, crossing the bridge will only happen after you occupy that fortress… … .”

Behind them, a military camp was being built to surround Elion Fortress. On the contrary, above Elion Fortress, preparations for the water battle were in full swing.

They were just a short distance away from the arrows fired from the top of Elion Fortress. Morse was worried that it was too close, but this was the only way to check Georg’s reaction. But so far, there has been no significant response.

Isaac looked at the bustling silhouettes and counted the number of people. Although the exact number was unknown, Morse reported that he appeared to have more troops than expected. This is a problem that was somewhat expected when seeing the destroyed village. The important thing is how many knights are in that fortress.

Georg’s warlord’s strongest force is the Knights of Elion.

However, until now, only the knights and cavalry belonging to the Georg family had been roaming the Elil Kingdom, and there was not a single member of the Elion Knights. Other than the hostages he had previously encountered and captured, he had never even encountered him.

As it was an order of knights raised and taught by Lyanna herself, its power should be considered the most threatening in Georg’s army.

“Do you think the cavalry has joined in?”

“Hmm, that’s a bit subtle. According to the report from Knight Commander Delphric, it appears that he did not join the fortress.”

“is it so? “I understand that they moved faster than us.”

“According to the scout report, some cavalrymen were spotted on the western outskirts. “If you were in that position, you didn’t join on purpose.”

Georg’s cavalry, which had been stirring up the Kingdom of Elil, suffered great damage while returning and attempting to surprise the main force of Aldeon’s army. Afterwards, the strategy was changed to lowering morale by keeping all kinds of checks in check, but even that was blocked by the implementation of the spread tactic.

From then on, I didn’t see Aldeon’s army until they arrived at Elion Fortress, so I thought they had joined Lyanna, but they were found on the outskirts.

Ethelred and her staff tried to understand Georg’s cavalryman’s thoughts.

“General Morse said it looks like he’s trying to hit us in the back while we’re carrying out the siege.”

The fortress becomes the anvil and the cavalry becomes the hammer. It is a standard and acceptable strategy. In fact, it was difficult to think of any other strategy. However, there was a reason why Morse could not strongly adhere to that opinion.

“Georg’s cavalry is undersupplied. “Villages that could serve as rear supply bases have already been burned down by Georg’s army, and if we go too far, we won’t be able to act as a hammer when needed.”

“That’s right. General Morse also pointed out the same thing. “Maybe he’s just trying to get on our nerves.”

If you don’t have to worry about supplying Georg’s cavalry, this is a good position to control the fortress, cavalry, and Aldeon’s army on both sides. However, it was doubtful whether the cavalry, which had already suffered heavy losses from Isaac, would be able to properly raid again. If they fail again, they will be annihilated without even being protected by the walls.

‘It would be better if the nobles who returned to their territory came on time… … It’s later than you think. ‘I can’t help it.’

It was natural for nobles who had no focus and no motivation to be late. It may be that the nobles belonging to the Salt Ain faction do not want to waste their knights on a useless civil war. They had already been given a suitable excuse that their territory had been attacked.

“Well, there’s no need to try to solve the other person’s problem. “I think there will be a lot of problems over there too.”

Isaac’s eyes turned to Elion Fortress. Just then, the gate opened and someone came out.

“For now, let’s proceed as usual.”

***

The military is a group that sucks up a lot of manpower, equipment, and resources, so why should we maintain it?

The correct answer is ‘Because it is cheaper.’

Isaac thought of the Persian army that invaded Greece or the million-strong army of China. In medieval society, feeding this army was usually not difficult. And in reality, not all of those troops are fighting. In most cases, only numbers are added to make up the number of heads.

The real purpose of the military is ‘performance’.

A performance that says I have this much population and a national power strong enough to feed this many people.

In fact, the Persian army fought few actual battles when occupying that large area. It was enough to simply march a huge number of troops in front of the castle where the enemy was hiding.

It is a cheap way to wage war.

In the end, the military is a necessity that cannot help but grow in size as the national power grows… … That was Isaac’s thought.

‘The problem is that the Kingdom of Elil is closer to Sparta than to the Middle Eastern countries conquered by Persia.’

As it is a country of warmongers, Elil has an extraordinary military quality and size. But the purpose is not much different.

Pressuring and threatening the other person.

Sooooo… … .

The dry reeds on the lakeside swayed eerily. The wind flow could be seen following the undulating shape of the reeds. And following the wind, the female knight I had seen before, Lyanna Georg, was approaching on horseback with another knight.

When he was within audible distance of speaking in a moderate voice, Isaac raised his hand. In her experience dealing with Lyanna, if she swooped down on her Ethel Red, there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to stop it in time.

Of course, the man who accompanied Lyanna on that street looked quite dissatisfied.

“Can you hear me from this distance, Grail Knight?”

“It’s nice that you have a loud voice like an Elil believer. “Who is that?”

It was Lyanna who answered Isaac’s question.

“This is my uncle Billon Georg. Holy Grail Knight. “I’m Gumyeon, so you know who I am, right?”

“It’s been a while. Lyanna Georg.”

It was Ethelred who answered nervously instead of Isaac. Lyanna’s gaze moved from Isaac to Ethelred. She answered with a tired smile.

“It’s been a while, Ethel. “You’re tall.”

“I am… … .”

“Your Majesty King Ethelred Aldeon. “This is a formal meeting, so please be courteous.”

Before Ethelred could respond, Isaac interrupted. It was because I felt Ethelred’s voice tremble. Her fog is thick and the lake is calm. It is a good environment for your voice to resonate. Because of the distance, we have to speak loudly, so articles from both sides have no choice but to listen.

Bilon got angry at Isaac’s words.

“What is the usurper Aldeon family… … !”

“That is correct. Uncle. Kaldbuch acknowledged it, so the king is a king. He was happy to be rude. “Your Majesty Ethelred, please forgive my rudeness.”

Lyanna obediently bowed her head and apologized. Ethel Red couldn’t bring herself to speak and nodded her head. Bilon looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut, as if she didn’t want to scold her nephew in front of her enemies.

Lyanna’s gaze swept over Aldeon.

The flags of noble families from all over the Elil Kingdom were hung in rows. The flags of nobles supporting the Georg family were also hung at Elion Castle, but their numbers were much smaller.

“I am proud that you have achieved this level of unity. your majesty. Honestly, considering your Majesty’s temperament, I thought it would be difficult.”

“… … “The most important flag has not been hung yet.”

Lyanna tilted her head at the hint of reconciliation.

“I understand that in that case, we have already sent you an answer.”

Ethelred was shocked when she remembered the murder of the messenger. Lyanna continued her words in a calm manner.

“Your innocent majesty, I know what you meant by coming here, but as someone who was once called your sister, I will teach you one thing.”

Many sides, many sides.

Lyanna suddenly moved her horse and began to approach slowly. Instead of restraining her with her words, Isaac pulled out her sword. At the same time, Bilon roared and raised his hands, and the sound of swords clashing along with shouts rang out from the Aldeon army. At Elion Fortress, the protesters were full of arrows and were screaming.

Isaac set a limit in his head, saying that he would attack Lyanna as soon as she crossed that line. But Lyanna stopped right in front of that line.

Ethelred froze and made eye contact with Lyanna.

“You can see it now.”

Lyanna said with a dry smile. Because the distance was getting closer, she didn’t raise her voice loudly.

“This war is not something we can end by saying, ‘Yes, let’s reconcile.’ I feel sorry for his dad’s death, but I think it was ultimately a mistake and a result of his own choice. But the elders of our clan don’t think that way.”

Lyanna turned her head and looked at Bilon.

“The elders say that my father lost his honor, which is more important than his life, because of the Aldeon royal family, and that to regain that honor, the royal family must be destroyed.”

She shook her head in disgust, recalling the countless advice and reprimands that pressured her.

“But it was my father who carried out the mission that would cost him his honor in the first place. And its origins go back a hundred years ago, when the Georg family elevated the Aldeon family as kings, and if we go even further, it goes back to the Ellil era, which created the tradition of worshiping the strong… … .”

Lyanna let out a long sigh.

“… … The past has accumulated step by step to come down to us now, Your Majesty. “We did not suddenly appear one day, but we have come from the forefront of the past to this point.”

Lyanna’s words reminded Isaac of Urbansus.

Her words accurately penetrated the principles of Urbansus.

All humans living today are influenced by Urbansus. People who are already dead and times that have already passed push and pressure the present. Lyanna and Ethelred were being pressed at the forefront. One day, they too will be stained by the past, as if it will seep into them.

Lyanna accepted the pressure calmly, and Ethelred was only slightly affected.

“So go back and prepare for war, Your Majesty. The elders think that we have already lost too much honor thanks to you. “Until his honor is restored, Georg will neither reconcile nor surrender.”

Lyanna smiled brightly and turned her horse around to return to the castle. Isaac sighed and put his sword back. He again saw the Aldeon army surrounding Elion Fortress.

The greatest utility of the military comes from intimidating the other party. So that you can win without fighting. But Lyanna was adamant that the threat would not work.

Then there is only one thing left.

Piling more bodies on top of the already too many.

Until the people of today are drowned and pickled in that blood.

Whether it’s honor or justice, only the person standing on top of those corpses can grasp it.