Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 219



Only Krnovel

Episode 219. The Great War (4)

“yes?”

Everyone looked at Rosalind at the unexpected words. Isaac, who had thought that he would naturally participate in the duel since he was chosen as the great warrior to lead the Dawn Army, also looked at Rosalind in surprise.

‘Are you really against the Dawn Army?’

From Salt Ain’s perspective, it was understandable. The isolationist nobles were on Salt Ain’s side. But he didn’t think Rosalind would deliberately put Aethelred in a difficult position. When Isaac was about to stand up to voice his dissent, Aethelred opened his mouth.

“Ha, I will do it.”

Isaac was shocked again.

Of course, Ethelred had grown to the point where he could have become a different person upon entering and leaving Urbansus, both mentally and physically.

However, the power shown there was a temporary growth that could be shown due to the full divine power of Urbansus. More time was needed to fully melt that experience.

“Your Majesty, the sword energy created by Kaldbuh may only be temporary. Considering the side effects… … .”

“No, Grail Knight. You can do it. I think you can do it.”

Although her voice sounded somewhat timid, Ethelred stood up confidently.

Lyanna also looked awkward. As a sinner, she did not want to confront Aethelred or oppose the Dawn Army. However, if she fought roughly or showed that she was deliberately losing, there would be a great backlash.

Aethelred had to clearly demonstrate his capabilities as the commander who would lead the Dawn Army in the future, and Lyanna had to demonstrate the clear will of the opposition.

Isaac had no idea how this troublesome situation would play out.

‘What on earth is Lady Rosalind… … .’

However, Rosalind just looked around the room with her arms folded. Isaac wanted to use his eyes of confusion to find out what she was thinking. However, he decided to trust Aethelred and wait for now. Even if Aethelred were to be defeated, as a great warrior of Elril, he could still gather some troops if he tried hard enough.

“There’s no need to set a deadline. Let’s get started right away.”

Ethelred immediately walked out into the middle of the hall, sword in hand. Lyanna hesitated for a moment before coming out as well. Her wounds had fully healed while she was trapped in the crystal.

The two of them, as if they had made a promise, held false swords instead of holy swords. If they had swung the holy swords while everyone was gathered, there might have been people who got caught up in it. However, Isaac did not know how Aethelred would win if he did not even borrow the power of Kaldbuh.

‘Lianna is much stronger in experience, skill, and strength. Even if Aethelred uses his sword right now, he is still a beginner, and he hasn’t fully mastered my swordsmanship. Is there no way to win?’

Lyanna spoke to Aethelred, who was standing in front of her.

“Well then, Your Majesty, I will begin first.”

Lyanna lightly scattered her swords and then rushed towards Aethelred in one breath.

So fast that you can hear the air bursting.

She began by stabbing Ethelred from three directions at once. Even without Lumiad, the air felt cold. Ethelred gritted her teeth and swung her sword. The courage to swing her sword so confidently in front of the Sword Master’s sword spirit was amazing, but his sword did not have any sword spirit or outstanding momentum.

The moment Isaac sensed Aethelred’s one-sided defeat.

Boom! With a loud noise, Lyanna’s body was thrown out. The speed of her being thrown out was faster than the speed at which she had rushed, so much so that even Isaac lost sight of her for a moment. Lyanna almost hit the wall, but barely managed to stop herself by planting her sword in the ground. The stone floor was cut by the sword, leaving a long scar.

A look of astonishment was turned to Ethelred.

Ethelred opened her eyes wide and let out a long breath. In that moment, everyone standing around felt a sense of oppression that made their hearts stop.

A blue light radiated from Ethelred’s eyes, her hair stood on end, and smoke like boiling sulfur rose from her mouth. Only then did Isaac realize what had happened.

‘angel!’

Isaac recognized the angel who had taken control of Ethelred’s body as the ‘Lion Knight’. That terrifying weight and power made it impossible to think of anyone else.

Ethelred, or rather the lion knight who had taken control of his body, looked around the crowd. Those who were in shock were unable to speak or move.

The lion knight opened his mouth as if satisfied.

“This is what Eliel means.”

In an instant, all the nobles, knights, and soldiers who filled the hall knelt down at once. If they didn’t kneel, their legs would give out and they would collapse.

The only people left standing were the lion knights who had taken control of Isaac and Aethelred’s bodies.

The Lion Knight turned his gaze with burning eyes to Isaac for a moment before disappearing.

Ethelred staggered and barely managed to regain her balance. Then she looked at the people prostrating themselves before her, her face filled with shock. It seemed as if she had completely lost consciousness while the lion knight was in control of her body.

In the heavy silence, Rosalind stepped forward and spoke for the first time.

“Elir’s decision has been made. Anyone who disagrees, come to the arena.”

Of course, no one came forward.

***

“I’ve heard that a duel trial is supposed to be a god-given way to bring about the right decision, but I never thought it would be this ignorant. Isn’t it usually done by chance or by encouraging one side?”

Now that the decision has been made, all that remains is to move. After the decision to dispatch the Dawn Army was made, the nobles hurriedly returned to assess the capabilities of their territory, including the supplies, soldiers, and knights to be sent.

Isaac grumbled to Rosalind about the ridiculous outcome of this ‘duel’.

Rosalind just smiled.

“Isn’t God’s providence a mysterious law?”

I thought it was just match-fixing, but for believers, it was a clear result.

“Did Lady Rosalind know that the duel would end up like this?”

“No way. But I heard a lot of stories about trials by combat when I was young. From the adults who remembered the days before the oracles were broken. Now that Elril has decided to stop being silent and focus on the earth, I just thought he would show his will directly, not through the witty remarks of witnesses.”

The knowledge and experience of the elderly are mysterious. Isaac couldn’t help but think so. And he also realized that he had still been underestimating this world.

He himself ‘objectively’ compared the abilities of Aethelred and Lyanna when they fought and estimated the odds of victory. However, from the perspective of a faithful believer, if Elril’s will was certain, the match was as good as decided.

‘Would Lyanna have lost even if she had brought a stone instead of Ethelred?’

It was a useless thought, but in any case, there was no event better than this to add more authority to Aethelred. For a while, Aethelred would rule the nobles with the title of ‘King with a Lion Knight’. Of course, thanks to that, Lyanna’s stomach wound opened again and she broke four fingers.

But she also seemed to be satisfied with the result.

Aethelred was tending to Lyanna’s wounds herself while apologizing to her.

Although Aethelred may still seem like a younger brother to Lyanna, she must have felt some knightly charm from the way he blew her away in one blow.

“By the way, the item that the Grail Knight brought was also a great help in persuading the nobles. If it weren’t for that, it would have been difficult to follow along emotionally.”

The ‘thing’ Rosalind spoke of was the hilt of a sword that belonged to a Durahan summoned by Lich Al Duazad in the past in the Isacre territory. He was a renowned knight from Elril, but his body was stolen and he wandered as a Durahan until he was ‘restored’ by Isaac. The hilt he left behind was engraved with the emblem of a noble family of considerable renown in Elril.

Only then did the anti-Dawn Army and isolationist nobles realize that, despite their refusal to fight, war was always nearby, and that many of their ancestors might have already been robbed. That was why they hurriedly returned to their territory.

Although many families practiced cremation, there were also cases where they dug up a columbarium or grave according to the will.

“Probably quite a few knights’ bodies have already been stolen. They wouldn’t have come all the way here just to steal a few bodies.”

“That’s right. Who would have thought that the evils of the Immortal Cult would reach this far? However, if that fact were to become known, it would certainly inflame the spirit of the expedition… … .”

Now that Elril’s ‘decision’ has been made, the nobles naturally join the Dawn Army. However, they may have followed reluctantly and may not have been active. However, thanks to the stolen grave goods that Isaac brought, they were able to create a solid justification that they could agree with.

“Yes. Since the Grail Knights suffered the most, I will hand this over to them.”

Rosalind handed Isaac a box. When he opened it, he saw a pair of pitch-black gloves.

“Isn’t this… the glove that Villain was wearing?”

I couldn’t help but remember it, as it was a glove that blocked not only Lumiad’s cold air, but also Isaac’s sword air.

It is said that all of Villain and his knights were rounded up and burned. The only way to kill the undead of the Undead Cult is to burn them. Even then, their spirits wandered around, so they had to be driven out through a cumbersome purification ritual.

But the loot remains.

“Yes. I heard it is called the ‘Hand of the Dead’. It is certainly a useful relic, but it is clearly a pagan relic, so no one wants to take it, so I kept it for myself. However, I thought I could entrust it to a Grail Knight.”

Isaac took out his gloves and examined them.

[Hand of the Dead (S)]

[A glove modeled after the grip that the spirit of the dead holds when dragging the living to hell. Since they are already dead, they are immune to everything and can directly touch the soul.]

‘Not bad.’

While his attack power was growing stronger, Isaac’s durability(?) was extremely poor. Of course, this was because Isaac was struggling between the old-fashioned mindset of ‘it’s okay if you don’t get hit’ and the complacency of ‘if you’re alive, you can recover’. If it was a defensive gear that could even block sword energy, it was top-notch. He didn’t even notice any ominous wishes.

Isaac put the gloves on his hands without hesitation. Like the knight’s armor, it changed internally to fit Isaac’s hand perfectly. It was about 1.5 times larger than his hand, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, it even felt like his grip strength had increased.

‘The tentacles will probably pierce through the left glove on their own. Or you can give it to Hesabel… … .’

Isaac was pleased with the unexpected harvest.

“Thank you. I think it will be useful.”

“… … I always thought you were different, but you really don’t hesitate to use pagan relics?”

“What difference does it make whether the cat is black or white when carrying out God’s will? As long as it catches the mice that God has commanded it to catch, that’s all that matters.”

Isaac answered shamelessly.

Rosalind smiled, seeming pleased with the answer.

“Good words. Now that the participation of the Dawn Army has been decided, it looks like we’ll be busy for a while. What do you plan to do now, Holy Grail Knight?”

“Well, I must return to His Majesty the Emperor and report that I have succeeded in my mission.”

Isaac’s order was to draw out the Dawn Army of the Kingdom of Elril, and he was so successful that he was even given the title of Grand Master of Elril. There was no need to wait for the Kingdom of Elril to prepare and come over, so it was time to return to the empire.

Isaac continued with a grin.

“But before I go, I’d like to fill my stomach a bit.”

***

Isaac said goodbye to Aethelred and his knights and left Elyon Citadel. If he ever saw them again, it would be on the continent, in the Dawn Army. Aethelred offered to escort him to the port, but Isaac declined. Aethelred had a lot to do from now on.

Not only was there no need to waste time and incur Elil’s wrath, but Isaac had somewhere to stop by while they were away.

Isaac had mobilized Aidan and the Salt Council ships to get here. The winds of the North Sea were harsh, making it difficult even for seasoned Salt Council sailors to approach, but he had to come because he thought it was now or never.

“We have arrived!”

Aidan shouted as he was barely able to steer the boat to the shore while enduring the strong wind and rain.

A half-collapsed tower was seen on a high mountain.

Isaac headed to the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Elril.

It was Wintercall, where Calurien’s secret laboratory and the wizard’s tower were located.