Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 255



Only Krnovel

Episode 255. The Coming Temple (4)

Isolde wondered how the Empire had fallen to this level. No, perhaps she should lament that it was not the Empire but the Church that had fallen to this level.

Because the ones blocking her carriage and threatening her now were not bandits or robbers, but the Yeomyeong Army.

“Hey, you’re riding in a pretty nice carriage!”

“We are going to the great temple, wearing shoes with holes in them, and your highness, do you plan to just watch while patting your belly? Why don’t you make a ‘donation’ if possible?”

“There is no need to shed blood between people of the same faith, so please show some sincerity!”

Just hearing the voice from outside made Isolde sigh. At that sigh, Angela, the girl Isaac had entrusted to her, turned her head.

Isolde reassured her by stroking her head.

“I don’t know how the noble Dawn Army came to be like this. Don’t be afraid.”

Isolde had already seen such a Dawn Army several times. The civilian volunteer Dawn Army that rose up spontaneously in response to the speeches and instigation of Priest Siero.

They called themselves the ‘Siero Dawn Army’, but the majority of the Empire had a different name for them.

‘Beggar Dawn Army’.

They said they had risen up in resentment at the call of the Dawn Army, and were leaving with a sickle in their hands to reclaim the Holy Land, but everyone knew that their real goal was to pillage. Even if that were not the case, if they set out on that long journey without supplies or supplies, they would inevitably end up pillaging.

The group of Dawn soldiers blocking the road now was also one of the many branches of the Dawn soldiers. They ultimately joined the large army led by Priest Siero and headed to the Holy Land, but it seemed that they had already become a group of bandits before that.

With a crowd of over a hundred people blocking the road and threatening to get in, the carriage couldn’t move. If we ignored them and pushed on, those who were now only threatening might become angry and turn into a group of robbers.

“What should I do, Miss?”

The man sitting on the coachman asked calmly, without showing any sign of fear. Not only was Isolde skilled, but the coachman was also one of the escorts dispatched by the Brandt family. He was not skilled enough to deal with a crowd of over a hundred people, but he was not in a situation where he could not escape.

Isolde opened the window slightly and looked at those blocking her way.

It didn’t seem like they would let him go easily, seeing as his bones were touching. Furthermore, if he found out that there were only women and children in the carriage, he might change his mind. Anyway, if I kill a few of these ragtag thugs, they will run away in all directions, but then I will have to bear the political burden of harming the Yeomyeong Army.

“First of all, money… … .”

Just when Isolde thought it would be reasonable to give him some money and send him on his way, a loud thud was suddenly heard from above the carriage.

“What is it?”

“What’s that crow… … .”

As the coachman spoke in confusion, the crow suddenly opened its mouth.

“Stay still.”

It was a well-known fact that crows could speak human language, so Isolde was not very surprised. However, she held her breath when she saw crows starting to sit and croak everywhere. The group of Dawn soldiers surrounding the carriage also looked around as if they sensed something unusual when they saw a flock of crows of all kinds.

“Stay still, stay still, stay still.”

The crows kept muttering the same words over and over again. One crow might not have been enough, but when dozens of crows were muttering the same words, even the beggarly group couldn’t help but feel scared.

“What are you saying, you little crow!”

The moment one of the dogs threw a stone at the crow, the crow flew up, croaking. At the same time, the other crows flew up at once. They swung around in the sky once and then all at once pounced on the dawn army.

“Eww! Run away!”

“It’s a curse! The curse of the Immortal Church!”

Crows are not small birds.

The small ones are as big as a forearm, and the large ones can spread their wings to the size of a person’s upper body. The way they stab with their beaks and swing their claws is not much different from a person’s dagger. The beggar Dawn Army disintegrated in an instant and fled. They were all in perfect order when they fled.

A flock of crows chased after the fleeing Dawn Army.

The coachman was about to swing his sword at a crow that had come close to the carriage, but Isolde quickly stopped him.

“Stay still!”

When the coachman stopped moving, the crow ignored him and flew away. The last remaining crow circled the carriage once and sat down on a tree a little way away to watch them. The crow flapped its wings and spoke once more.

“Stay still.”

Isolde got out of the carriage and blankly stared in the direction where the beggar Dawn Army had disappeared.

The coachman looked around the quickly cleaned up surroundings with a dumbfounded expression.

“… … There are so many things going on. Are we really approaching the end of the world?”

“It’s not the end of the world, but I feel like I’ve pissed someone off.”

Isolde somehow felt like she knew who had done this, since this place was not far from his domain.

Isolde said as she looked at the crow, which was muttering something telling it to stay still.

“Just wait a moment. I think a guest is coming.”

***

Flutter.

As Isolde said, not long after, Nel appeared, flapping her huge wings. Just seeing a flock of crows was enough to startle the driver, but the sudden appearance of a translucent dragon made the coachman even more nervous. However, Isolde, who had already heard the story from Isaac, waited calmly.

Thud. Isaac landed with a thud and came straight towards her.

“Isolde. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“It’s okay. They were just a bunch of hungry thugs… … .”

But Isaac knew how scary a hungry mob could be, so he quickly ordered Hecatli to call a flock of crows and attack.

“More than that, that beggar Dawn Army… … No, Siero Dawn Army went to the Isacre territory. Is that okay?”

“Ciero Dawn Army? That bunch of beggars were the Dawn Army.”

Isaac had also heard of Siero.

He is one of the ‘extreme priests’ that Dietrich spoke of when he was in Siraxa, and is portrayed as a fairly important figure in the game.

Mainly in terms of agitation and madness.

Priest Siero was the first extremist to advocate the formation of the Dawn Army. He was an ordinary priest on the outside. However, he was talented at inciting people, so he was able to gather a huge army and become the core of the Dawn Army.

At that moment, the carriage door opened and Angela got out. Angela came running over and hugged Isaac without saying a word. Isaac, who had no intention of showing any affection for this orphan girl, was taken aback by her attitude, but he patted her head anyway.

Isolde smiled at the sight. But the smile did not last long.

“I saw the Dawn Army like that here and there. They were begging for help on their way to join the Dawn Army, almost like looting. There were so many of them that I couldn’t do anything carelessly, but I also didn’t want to mess with the Dawn Army. Even His Majesty the Emperor said they were a headache.”

“That makes sense.”

The Emperor can do nothing while armed forces without national control are running wild. Isaac could tell how heated the situation was without even looking. Even if the Knights were a small and elite group that set an example for themselves, if all these rabble left for the Holy Land, it was only a matter of time before the Empire was devastated.

“There’s also the problem of Siero. I’ve heard from Siero’s Dawn Army members that he’s a wise prophet and that he’s under the protection of the Light’s Law. It’s true that the Order is protecting him, but… … .”

Isaac knew the secret about Siero, but he didn’t tell him. It was a secret that would do him no good.

“There was even a rumor that he had been notified by an angel.”

But Isolde’s next words were met with a slur. After coughing a few times, Isaac confirmed her words again.

“Are you an angel?”

“I haven’t yet determined whether it’s true or not. Since the villagers tend to exaggerate rumors, it could be exaggerated. There’s no way he could become a famous angel without having accomplished anything special… .”

Isaac had not heard of the naming announcement for long, but he had no idea that other people would be talking about the Angel of Honor. Is it okay to abuse the Angel of Honor’s status like this? It had nothing to do with Isaac, but it suddenly occurred to him that Horhel might have gone to Siero as well.

‘There is no better bait to keep a rampant priest in check than an angel.’

Anyway, the notice itself is an empty promise. Even if it is later proven to be nothing, it doesn’t matter to Horhel. However, it was the perfect tool to use until the moment of death. Maybe Carlsen was whipped like that too.

***

“Anyway, that’s good. Let’s come to Yeongji and talk some more.”

“No, I thought about it a little bit.”

Isolde looked as if she was thinking about something for a moment, then said.

“It’s good to meet you here. Isaac, can you take Angela to the estate? I was a little late on the way back because I was researching Siero. And I also have to research the cardinal candidate that His Majesty the Emperor is recommending.”

Isaac was taken aback by Isolde’s words. She was the heir to the Duke of Brandt and an investigator appointed by the Emperor. She was not the type of person to run errands and bring a child to the territory.

Isaac quickly apologized, thinking he had made a mistake.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve had time to do this… … .”

Isolde smiled and shook her head.

“No. Angela was cute, and we were going to meet Bishop Katin anyway. But I think it would be better to split up here. We’re running out of time because of the Siero Dawn Army… .”

Isolde muttered, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache.

“His Majesty the Emperor has requested that the investigation be expedited. Right now, the imperial family and the religious order are on the verge of explosion because of the Siero Dawn Army. The Siero Dawn Army has been looting here and there and has even taken control of the military supplies supplied by the Golden Idol Merchant Group.”

“Even military supplies? That’s no ordinary thing.”

The Imperial Army also participates in the Dawn Army. However, if a rabble of rascals starts to touch military supplies, it will hinder the regular army from demonstrating its ‘real’ capabilities. He couldn’t help but get angry because the Emperor, who was trying to help the religious order, was not helping but was hindering it.

“His Majesty the Emperor might overlook a little bit of food cart tampering. The problem is that the Golden Idol Merchant Association is under threat… … .”

“Since the upper part of the Golden Idol is mainly comprised of merchants, stable security is of utmost importance.”

“Yes. That’s why we formed a regular mercenary force to protect the merchants. However, if we see blood, the anger of the Dawn Army may be directed at the Golden Idol Merchant Group, and the expedition may go in the wrong direction. The Golden Idol Merchant Group is also worried about that… … .”

Isaac thought that the reason why the Golden Idol Merchant Trade Wagons had been visiting Isacrea Territory so often recently was not simply because the territory had developed. Isacrea Territory was the only place in the area where trade could be conducted with peace of mind. However, now that the Siero Dawn Army had invaded Isacrea Territory, there was a risk that trade would be reduced.

“Because of the war, the whole place is in chaos.”

“I don’t know why they’re doing this. It’s not like the world will end if we recover the Holy Land… … .”

Isolde muttered worriedly. But Isaac heard Isolde’s words and other thoughts came to his mind.

The Code of Light believed without a doubt that the Millennium would come after the end of this Dawning. The coming of the Millennium would be the end of the old era.

In the world where Isaac originally lived, it is the rapture and the day of judgment. When that happens, worldly values ​​will have no meaning.

“But didn’t that Dawn Army run away to the territory? I’m worried that they might harass the residents.”

“Um, no, that’s fine. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Isaac answered Isolde’s concerns with confidence.

He had already arranged a way to keep this horde of beggars from causing trouble in his domain. To do so, he needed some survivors and some talkative mouths to spread the fear.

‘That bunch of beggars would be just right.’