Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 294



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Episode 294. On the other side of the scale (1)

“Protection doctrine? What do you mean by that to a child… ?”

After listening to the story, it turns out that life insurance wasn’t the important thing.

Angela was under the miraculous protection of a doctrine that sealed certain knowledge, preventing her from even uttering that knowledge, or even thinking about or considering it.

The reason Angela couldn’t speak was because of a miracle performed by the Immortal Church.

“What kind of knowledge does a child have that he’s making such a fuss to stop it?”

“Well, it’s a pretty advanced doctrine. At least at the level of a bishop or higher. It’s impossible for us to divulge the knowledge, nor is it possible for us to extract the knowledge.”

Isaac didn’t think the Undead Cult had lived so long that it had become senile and crazy.

Even the oldest living Immortal Emperor, Beshek, is only 300 years old. In reality, there are some insane undead, but there is a common perception that all members of the Immortal Church have.

Children are objects that must be protected and safeguarded.

It would be nice if that were the minimum level of conscience a human should have, but in reality, the soul and bones of a child are considered immature to become undead.

Basically, when you become undead, you take with you the personality and skeleton of the person you were when you died. Unless you have a bad habit of growing young bones, you will be released or protected like a fisherman who catches fry and says, “Come back when you’re older.”

‘Of course, whatever their intentions, we have to think of them as having good intentions. In any case, isn’t protecting children the minimum quality that we should have for the sake of the community?’

The Immortal Cult only touches on the somewhat obsessive realm.

Isaac assumed that Angela had accessed some secret knowledge related to the Undead Order, but something went wrong and she was caught by a high-ranking member of the Undead Order—perhaps a Lich. Instead of killing the child, the Lich simply took strict protective measures and sent her away.

It was quite possible.

But before that, we need to find out how Angela got involved in such a thing.

Isaac figured that since Angela wouldn’t have gone to a place like that alone, her parents might have been with her.

‘Angela was found in Siracusa. At the place where they were planning to mass-burn those who had signed up for death insurance… … .’

And most of the people who signed up for life insurance were created by illegally trespassing on the territory occupied by the Undead Cult across the sea. Contrary to the terrifying rumors spread by the Code of Light, setting foot in that desert will not cause you to freeze to death or have your soul sucked out.

If it is not a place where the undead gather, there are some places where the land is quite fertile and the flora and fauna are abundant. Some people even live there as if they are free to graze under the protection of some generous undead.

Of course, they are all subscribers to life insurance.

Even if you happen to run into a member of the Immortal Cult, you can just greet them and pass them by. Just as not all members of the Church of the Light’s Code are fanatics who can’t stand to burn people, not all walking skeletons are people who are desperate to tear other people’s flesh off.

In some ways, they are safer than vampires or orcs, since they have little desire.

Surprisingly, the territory of the Immortal Church is also ultimately inhabited by humans.

‘Let’s assume that Angela’s original parents were the ones who crossed over to the territory of the Immortal Cult and returned to Siraxa together… … .’

There are many candidates, but there are some positions that are the most common and easiest to get into.

Isaac, out of curiosity, ordered the priest to bring someone over. The people were puzzled to hear the name of someone who seemed completely out of place, but they did as they were told.

After a while, Kathleen arrived and gave Isaac the answer he had expected.

“Yes. This child belongs to the Golden Idol Group.”

***

As with many faiths, doctrines and forms of belief vary by region, culture, and tradition. Among them, the Golden Idol Sect is largely comprised of traders who travel to many places without a fixed base country.

“There are people called the Selmons. They were originally a family belonging to the Salt Council, but they lost their homeland and were unable to adapt to one place, so they wandered endlessly. Eventually, they came to believe that no religion could be trusted, and that the only means of protection for them was money, so they devoted themselves to the golden idol as a bloodline.”

“Selmon? Are you talking about the Selmon merchants?”

Kathleen nodded at the priest’s question.

“A lot of people call them that. Anyway, that’s why they have a reputation of being people who don’t care about the means or methods for money.”

Isaac, who had been listening quietly, suddenly opened his mouth.

“They are not picky about the means and methods, even going as far as the Immortal Church to smuggle goods.”

Kathleen nodded.

Just because it’s the territory of the Immortal Cult doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily die or be forced to sign an insurance contract, but if you want to do business, you’ll have to meet members of the Immortal Cult anyway.

It is not usually a matter of courage to bargain with a skeleton that radiates cold air. The other party always has the option of ‘kill this worthless merchant, take his goods, and turn his body into a slave who cleans my ribs.’

In other words, it is something that is difficult to do unless you are extremely money-crazy.

Of course, the Immortal Church doesn’t easily commit such a thing because they need the items. If you look at the Siero Dawn Army plundering the Golden Idol merchant, it’s not like anyone can point fingers at anyone.

“And the Selmon merchants tattoo their wrists from a young age to identify their bloodline wherever they are. They usually hide it with bracelets or knots… … .”

As she spoke, Kathleen turned over Angela’s wrist and showed her. There was a small tattoo of a broken anchor. As a people who often wandered in family units, she too had entered the territory of the Undead Cult.

Isaac nodded.

“Angela’s parents were Selmon merchants. So the death insurance itself isn’t that strange. The Immortal Cult might have demanded the death insurance as a condition for opening a deal.”

It’s easy to unlock, so it’s not a difficult choice to refuse.

But something went wrong and Angela’s knowledge was sealed and she was banished to Siraxa.

Isaac was curious about that, but there seemed to be no easy way to find out the knowledge that even the protective doctrine had.

He asked me a slightly roundabout question to see where I could start and where I could end my story.

“Angela, can you tell me who you met at the Immortal Church?”

Angela looked at Isaac with a puzzled look, not writing or making any gestures. She seemed to not even recognize the question itself, let alone answer it. It was quite a thorough miracle.

‘That’s why the child can’t speak.’

Then Kathleen opened Isaac’s map and asked a question.

“Angela, where did your parents stay?”

Angela reacted to that. It seemed like information about her parents wasn’t particularly restricted.

The place where she stopped her finger was a corner of the map. Everyone fell silent when they saw the place where her finger touched.

Isaac asked back.

“The Holy Land? You stayed in the Holy Land Lua?”

Even among the Immortal Order, the only place where trade is permitted is the capital city, Ushaq.

This is because the Holy Land of Lua has such a thorough defense and protection system that it is not easy for even the undead to enter.

A fortress guarded by undead that can survive for hundreds of years without eating or sleeping looks like something beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

“That’s impossible. Even if you’re a Selmon merchant, it would be difficult to visit the Holy Land, Lua… … .”

“You may be misinformed by the doctrine of protection. A strong doctrine of protection is that it is safer to distort the facts than to hide them… … .”

Amid the flurry of panicked guesses and denials, Angela’s fingers moved again.

She started from the city of Vines, the stronghold of the Golden Idol, then went through Mirmia and once again twirled her finger over the holy city of Lua. Then she moved her finger again and headed towards Siraxa.

It was clear that she was talking about the path her family had taken.

It was evidence that cognitive abilities were normal.

After a long silence, Isaac opened his mouth.

“Let’s say Angela visits the Holy Land, Lua.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Isaac.

“What do you think this child saw and knew there that would have left him speechless for the rest of his life?”

The priest leaned over and looked at Angela, perhaps thinking that he might be able to find out valuable information.

“Should we try to break the doctrine even if it means going to great lengths?”

“Is it too much?”

“There is a holy relic in the Lenheim Cathedral that can break pagan miracles. If it is… … .”

“No, I think I know what it is. If you do it wrong, it’s a sacred object that will turn you stupid. Okay. If that’s the only way.”

“but…….”

Isaac answered firmly.

“Of course it may be valuable information, but we are not in such a hurry to hurt a child for information that we do not even know. If you are going to risk your life, it should be the adults who do it. We can do it without that.”

It’s not a bluff. Isaac originally planned to attack the Holy Land without any information about Angela. If the information she had was valuable enough, the number of casualties might be reduced and the success rate might be increased, but that’s no reason to drag a child to the battlefield.

Even someone from the Undead Church who had placed a protective doctrine on Angela sent her back safely, and Isaac was hurt? This is just plain ridiculous.

“But Isaac, Angela can’t be mute for the rest of her life, can she? And it’s not even clear what miracle she’s been through. There might be additional dangerous doctrines discovered.”

Isaac was speechless at Catelyn’s words.

She continued, as if trying to find a compromise.

“I’ll ask the higher-ups first. The Selmon merchants wouldn’t have done something like this on their own, so they’ll probably know something.”

Isaac nodded.

The Golden Idol Top may not specifically know how to remove Angela’s banishment, but it may at least give you an idea of ​​why her family went to the Holy Land, Lua.

***

While Catelyn sent her report to the top of the Golden Idol with the fastest dispatch, Isaac resumed his preparations for the expedition. If all goes according to plan, they will be able to set off before the new year.

Coincidentally, it was exactly the time when the Dawn Army started in the game.

‘It’s much faster. The Dawn Army actually started much earlier… ‘

Just in time, some good news came.

“It is said that Sahul Khan’s army is moving south, leaving only a small force in Soer.”

The knights of Elril, who had been continuously scouting to see if the army of the Olkan Discipline was making any useless moves, finally observed a change. It is unknown whether the Khan was running away with his tail between his legs because of Atlan or because Sahulan’s nose was broken.

However, once it seemed impossible to conquer the Isacre territory, it was clear that they had turned their attention elsewhere.

“I guess the great plundering in the south has stopped.”

Rihanna also nodded.

“I heard that many cities in the south have been destroyed. The borders of the empire are changing in real time.”

The Yeomyeong Army must have gathered together, and it is truly a sight to behold.

But Isaac saw that the movement of the Olkan Discipline would not last long. The Olkan Discipline would eventually clash with the Pope’s ‘real’ Dawn Army advancing toward the Holy Land. They too would have tried to avoid that situation and tried to break through here, but in the end it became impossible.

‘By the way, I guess I’ll be seeing orc faces all the way south. So… … .’

Just as Isaac’s worries were about to begin again, a notification sound was suddenly heard.

[The Nameless Chaos is satisfied with its victory over other faiths.]

[I am pleased with your accomplishments in raising the reputation of the Nameless Chaos.]

It was a new type of message.

‘What? I’m raising the reputation of the nameless chaos?’

If it was Isaac’s name, then I wouldn’t know, but nameless chaos didn’t matter at all.

The church also has a new name, Isacrea Dawn Prayer Meeting, and even the doctrines are completely different.

Isaac was dumbfounded, but the nameless chaos seemed satisfied with that. And Isaac didn’t seem to care about the next message.

[The reward of chaos has been given.]

[Nameless Chaos has granted you the ‘Hidden Ritual’ perk.]

Isaac jumped up from his seat as soon as he saw the skill name.

Lyanna, who was nearby, looked at him with a puzzled look, but Isaac paid no attention to her gaze.

Even before looking at the skill description, Isaac could tell what kind of skill this was.

Because it was a skill that Isaac would grind his teeth and feel resentful about whenever he killed a boss-level monster related to chaos.