Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 272



Only Krnovel

Subject Here – Episode 272. Forbidden Knowledge (2)

“You may come out.”

Isaac came out of the low hole first and whispered. Then, quietly, Baschul came out.

Both of them were covered in mud.

As is the case with most cities with a long history, Lichtheim was also built with underground structures piled high. However, the priests of Lichtheim were interested in how to use the underground space effectively, and took the form of imprisoning things that did not need to exist in the world, such as sinners, forbidden knowledge, and evil relics, and pressing them into the city.

Because of this, Lichtheim, unlike other cities, has carried out planned redevelopment of its underground areas several times.

Naturally, the prison where the emperor was locked up and the secret archives of the censorship office were also built underground. However, if this kind of redevelopment is repeated, there are parts that are omitted or abandoned in the design. If these spaces are not properly understood, they end up becoming secret passages that even the designers are unaware of.

And Isaac knew all too well about these secret passages.

Baschl was terrified as he emerged from the claustrophobic canal into a passageway-like space.

It was really the underground corridors of Lichtheim.

“I didn’t know there was a secret passage like this underground in Lichtheim… … .”

What he was most worried about was how to get through the high walls of Lichtheim. The walls were protected by powerful divine powers, making them difficult to damage or even to get through using miracles. If he did, he would definitely be discovered.

But Isaac easily circumvented it through a secret passage.

“If this information had leaked to the Immortal Cult or the Red Grail, it would have been a terrible disaster… … No, but how do you know this? What kind of person are you?”

“Is it more important for you to know that, or to rescue the Emperor?”

“The Emperor is more important. Let’s go.”

Baschul does not have much loyalty to the Emperor. However, the Emperor was an important tool in achieving revenge, and he did not want to be caught up in the tricks of the angels.

“As I told you, I will go to the Secret Archives of the Censorship Bureau first.”

“Hmm, yes. That. You said you had business in the secret vault, and you helped me get through the walls, so I won’t say anything. But is that really that important? More important than rescuing the Emperor?”

“The people of my domain are more important to me than 100 emperors.”

Isaac looked at Bashuul in disbelief.

Of course, I have a personal relationship with the Emperor, but it’s not a very affectionate or happy relationship. And honestly, in this situation, the Emperor’s greed was severe, so I had to see it as part of his responsibility.

But the people of Isacrea Territory cannot live without Isaac.

It was natural that Isaac would care more about them.

Baschl seemed to want to say something more, but Isaac strode forward through the underground corridors without hesitation. Since Isaac knew the intricate layout of the underground corridors, Baschl had no choice but to follow behind him.

Then, suddenly, Isaac felt strangely dizzy and staggered.

“What, why are you like that?”

“Um, no. I don’t know. Is it because I entered the church?”

Isaac was suddenly dizzy and felt like his vision was doubled, but he soon recovered. He checked his physical condition just in case, but there was nothing unusual.

Jebug, Isaac, and Baschle held their breath when they heard footsteps. Two priests wearing white hoods that completely covered their faces were pulling a cart through the opposite corridor. The cart they were pulling was loaded with various grisly gadgets.

Basch whispered.

“Those are the torture priests of the Inquisition. Where are they going?”

“There must be a lot of ‘guests’ in the dungeon today, so there must be a lot to ask.”

The official name is ‘confessor’.

While the inquisitors roam outside and act as the church’s problem solvers, the confessors are in charge of hearing confessions from captured prisoners and making them repent. However, since they receive many involuntary confessions and repentances, they are more often called torture priests.

Isaac and Baschl exchanged glances and approached the two without making a sound. It was not difficult to kill the two priests in the darkness without making a sound. Originally, the basement of Lichtheim was a place to hide things that they did not want to be revealed, so there was no need to worry about being discovered.

Subject Here – The two put the bodies of the confessors back into the passage they came from and changed their muddy clothes.

A hood that covered the head was suitable for hiding the face.

“I have already apostatized, but you really have no qualms about killing priests.”

“Does this seem like the first time I’ve cut off a priest’s head? I don’t feel guilty about killing these guys.”

Isaac had already cut off the head of a priest in Siraxa.

Of course, at the time, he did it because he was confident that the church would protect him, but he couldn’t have known if he would do the same now that he was secretly infiltrating the underground of Lichtheim and decapitating the confessor.

***

Instead of risking their lives to save each other when trouble arises, Baschul and Isaac decide that one of them will prioritize his own goals over the other.

Of course, it was also a promise because neither of them thought they would die.

When Baschl first entered Lichtheim, he had thought about parting ways with Isaac and going their separate ways. But now, after walking through the underground corridors for an hour, he has changed his mind.

Baschl can’t do without Isaac.

Without Isaac, Bashel would have wandered these labyrinthine corridors forever, starving or dying of exhaustion, never to find the Emperor.

“… … Isaac, do you know the way?”

Isaac glanced back at him, knowing what he was worried about.

“Don’t worry, the underground of Lichtheim is all connected. It’s not hard to get from the Censorship Office to the dungeon.”

“Then why does it go round and round like this?”

Isaac paused for a moment at a fork in the road as he walked. He stared at the corridor in front of him for a moment, then picked up a piece of stone from the floor and threw it. Suddenly, there was a muttering sound from the corridor, and the stone caught fire and turned to ash before it even touched the floor.

“It’s a blind watchman’s trap. This place was designed by the angels. The only people who can walk around here are those who have memorized the ‘true path’. Or those who have the power to cancel miracles.”

Isaac walked right to the right. Now, Baschul followed Isaac without saying anything. He had no idea how Isaac knew these things, or what he was looking for when he approached the secret vault, but there was no one he could rely on as much as he did now.

“If it were just traps, I would just try to break through them, but there are also traps that summon beasts or sound alarms. If there’s a commotion, the prison security will become tighter… … .”

Isaac said so and glanced at Baschul.

“If we get caught, you go rescue the Emperor while I raid the secret vault.”

“what?”

“Please rescue the Emperor, unite our forces, and protect Isacrea Territory. I may not die here immediately, but it may be difficult to escape right away.”

“Such weak words… … .”

“Even if you die, I will rescue the emperor. I will also look for an opportunity to kill Deng Ha-maeng. Is that okay?”

Baschl scoffed at Isaac’s words. After all, it was nothing more than an extension of the agreement they had made before coming in.

Instead of risking their lives to save each other, one of them decides to fulfill the other’s goals.

“I feel like I’m at a loss since I won’t die.”

“You look so confident. Ah, we’ve arrived.”

The moment he turned the corner, a huge stone gate suddenly appeared, startling Baschul. He must have turned the same corner several times, but a completely different structure unfolded before him.

Isaac said to the bewildered Baschul.

“It’s a trick using light refraction and optical illusions. It’s not a difficult concept once you understand it, but it’s not something I’ll come back to twice.”

“I take back what I said earlier. I don’t think I’ll be able to escape from here if you die.”

The two opened the door, exchanging idle chatter.

As far as Isaac knew, the stone door opened without any special locking mechanism, since the real security of the secret vault did not lie in the door itself.

As soon as I opened the door, a cool breeze and the smell of dust blew in.

Bashu swallowed and stepped into the most secret space in the empire.

***

Subject Here – An incredibly huge space stretched out far and wide.

The ceiling was so high that it was almost invisible, and countless boxes were stacked in neat layers. As Basch watched the corridors made of boxes being sucked into the pitch-black darkness, he realized that this scenery extended to the space next to the door.

He was about to mutter something nonsense, but soon realized that it sounded too weightless and coughed.

“I guess this is also a trick using light refraction and optical illusions. It’s not that big, is it?”

“No way. The blind watchman used a miracle to twist the order of time and space.”

Although Basch had a betrayed expression on his face, the sight before his eyes was overwhelming even to Isaac.

The Secret Library, as its name suggests, was not simply a place to store books. What the censors wanted to lock up was knowledge. And knowledge was not just contained in books.

Relics containing forbidden miracles, phenomena of unknown origin, unidentified creatures, objects that should not exist… … All things that disrupt order were subject to ‘censorship’ by the Light Code Censorship Agency. And those that could not be erased or were too precious to erase were hidden in the safest and most secret places.

This vast space thus filled was a place where knights and inquisitors devoted their lives and passion for a thousand years.

Isaac started walking. As soon as they started moving, a light suddenly poured down from above their heads. Basch was startled and almost pulled out his sword.

“It’s just a light that reacts to movement. It’s a convenience feature for visitors to the library, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh, really?”

Isaac warned Baschul as he tried to pat the box next to him with an embarrassed expression.

“Don’t touch that box. It’s sealed with chains and Bibles, but it’s old and can easily be damaged. The fact that it’s chained means it can be used to harm people.”

“Hurt people? This?”

“It would be fortunate if it only hurts.”

At Isaac’s warning, Baschul hid his hands. Thinking about it, it was foolish to carelessly touch anything in the secret archives that were known to be so strict.

Baschle vowed not to do such a pathetic thing again, but it was not easy.

“Baschel, don’t try to look closely at what’s in the darkness. The moment you focus, you might get dragged away. Just focus and follow along.”

“Baschel, don’t hum. ‘They’ are singing along. If you don’t want to see the library filled with a chorus, be quiet.”

“Baschel, that’s not a wall, it’s a huge box. It’s so big that it looks like they moved an entire house here.”

Baschl finally gave up.

I thought I was a warrior who had rolled around as much as I could, but here I felt like a newborn baby. What was even harder to bear was Isaac’s calm voice that warned me of all these precautions.

“I’m going crazy. Can’t you just close your eyes and wait by the door, and then come back when you’re done with your business?”

“Baschel, who are you talking to now?”

As Basch was about to ask Isaac what he was talking about, he suddenly realized that the words had come from behind him. Isaac was walking toward him with a strange look in his eyes, holding a box in his arms.

Baschul looked at Isaac, who had been warning him just now, with an eerie feeling. Then Isaac, who was in front, let out a cackling laugh and ran off into the darkness. Following the spot where the bastard disappeared, Baschul could hear the song he had been humming.

“… … Is it a ghost?”

“I know what you saw. It wasn’t a ghost, but it’s better not to know. If I had followed that thing all the way to the end, I wouldn’t have been able to die and would have wandered around this library forever.”

As Isaac spoke, he looked around the secret library.

“The Censor’s Secret Vault’s greatest security feature is its vastness. Its absurdly large and complex structure makes it impossible for intruders to find their intended targets. It also acts as its own guard, allowing it to release potentially dangerous sealed objects without damaging the vault.”

Basch looked at the box Isaac was carrying with a tired expression.

“I think I found it already?”

“This isn’t what I’m looking for. It’s just a box with a suspicious dish in it that turns into alcohol when filled with water.”

“Then how do you find what you want?”

“like this.”

Isaac lifted the box and threw it down in one swoop. The sound of crashing echoed throughout the secret storage. Under Baschul’s astonished gaze, the overhead light began to flicker violently.

Baschul pulled out his sword without realizing it.

Something ominous was happening.