Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 296



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Episode 296. On the other side of the scale (3)

Leonora Becia is not a character that stands out much in the eyes of players of other faiths. After all, she is just a merchant, and a second-in-command.

But it’s a different story when playing on the top of the Golden Idol.

The Bessia family has maintained the title of the head of the Golden Idol for five generations, and the current head, Belman Bessia, has three sisters under her.

Among them, the second daughter, Leonora, had the most outstanding talent.

She thoroughly exploits the players, mercilessly preying on them regardless of whether they are her own sisters, enemies, or allies, and provides directions for the Golden Idol Top to win in this tight space.

But it is not for the sake of proof of faith, but only for one’s own advancement.

He was a true monster created by capitalism, a talented person who had no shortage of heroes at the top of the golden idol.

During the course of working with her, the player will encounter numerous moral conflicts and unpleasant situations.

The dilemma of playing at the top of the Golden Idol is that it tests your humanity by asking, “Even if it’s a game, do you really have to go this far to win?”

‘Why is Leonora here?’

Why are you holding your own hand and feeling embarrassed?

Isaac belatedly realized that this embarrassed reaction might have been calculated as well.

It seems to be an action intended to induce carelessness.

Isaac quickly let go of his hand and lowered his head.

“I have heard much about your reputation, Miss Leonora.”

“Yes? Has the Holy Grail Knight ever heard my name?”

Isaac thought, “Oh no. Their areas of activity do not overlap at all. And even if Leonora were to make her name known, it would only be infamy.

“I have heard that Catelyn has a very good successor at the top of the Golden Idol. She is the most likely to inherit the position of the High Lord.”

Kathleen looked at Isaac as if to ask when he had ever said such a thing, but he was not oblivious. She soon went on to tell him how passionately she had praised Leonora.

Despite Catherine’s compliments, Leonora could only smile awkwardly, unable to take her loving gaze off Isaac.

‘If that’s acting, then the Golden Idol top might have the miracle of the play.’

Isaac sat down, avoiding everyone’s gaze, thinking of useless things.

To Isaac, who knew Leonora’s true nature, it was just a snake-like gaze.

“It is an honor to meet you, beautiful… no, renowned Grail Knight. Our company has also heard of your precious reputation through word of mouth. Although it is not much, we have prepared a few gifts.”

As Leonora snapped her fingers, those waiting behind her began to bring out the boxes one by one from the pile. Isaac, who thought he should not get entangled with her, tried to humbly decline, but he ended up keeping his mouth shut after the first box.

“I have heard that the Knights of the Holy Grail consider collecting holy relics and returning them to their gods as their main virtue.”

Inside the box was an incense burner that looked like a sacred relic from the Codex of Light.

Just looking at it, it was a holy relic that a bishop-level person should have.

It doesn’t have any special abilities, but most relics are like that. It just has strong divine power. When that strong divine power is combined with the priest’s miracle, it can produce even more powerful miracles.

Isaac then opened the other boxes. They were not as valuable as the previous incense burner, but each contained sacred relics of considerable value. It was a feast of treasures that even Isaac, who had sworn not to be shaken, was dazzled by.

Then Isaac noticed another striking object.

“Is this dye?”

Five glass bottles were filled with purple powder.

The purple color, with its mysterious hue, strangely caught Isaac’s attention. It was all the more curious because dye was a delicate thing to give as a gift.

Leonora explained with a smile.

“You recognize precious things. They are collected by grinding the colors that have stuck to the now forgotten ancient ruins. It was almost like grinding an entire temple to white. There was even a noble who offered a box of gold for one bottle.”

After hearing Leonora’s words, it seemed as if five boxes of gold were displayed before my eyes.

A golden box that can be carried around so lightly. There are few items with better transport efficiency than this.

Since they were treasures that were difficult to look at one by one, Isaac said something he didn’t mean.

“… … These are just too many things.”

“It is an insufficient gift compared to the grace that the Holy Grail Knight has bestowed upon the world and upon our upper class.”

Leonora said with a warm smile. I knew that the treasures gathered by the Golden Idols were enormous, but it was eerie to see them willingly give away such relics as gifts.

The Golden Idol Top never does business at a loss, especially when it comes to Leonora.

“Thanks to the efforts of the Holy Grail Knights, we have the cooperation of the Kingdom of Elril and the Salt Council, and even the Furnace of the World has set foot on the continent. We are making a lot of money just from that. You don’t have to worry at all.”

It hasn’t been long since the World’s Brazier set foot on the continent. But it seems like he’s already been doing some business. Even without that, judging by the fact that he’s been so easily showing off his kindness, he seems to have made quite a bit of money recently.

“It looks like you made a lot of money in this war?”

Isaac asked a question that might have chilled the mood a little, but Leonora only smiled knowingly.

Isaac could see a hint of a sociopath in that smile.

“Yes. Usually, when there is war, trade is cut off and the economy freezes. That’s why the Golden Idol Group doesn’t like war very much. But this time, things are going a little differently.”

Leonora continued, taking her glass of wine with a shy smile on her lips.

“The emperor benefited from granting the military a monopoly on certain items, more than enough to cover the losses caused by the economic downturn.”

“Are you disappointed that Emperor Baltsemer has fallen from power?”

“Ah, of course, there was a time when ‘some scoundrels’ attacked merchants and there was almost trouble, but the situation actually got better when the church took full control. The priests suddenly had to run the country, but since they had no talent for administration, they took over several businesses that the empire had been running in order to ‘improve management efficiency.’”

“Huh, what do you think?”

“Hmm, the existing military supplies are basic, as well as tax payments, tax transportation, road maintenance, port usage fees, and mining monopoly rights… … Well, if I were to guess a few things, that’s about it. It’s something we couldn’t even dream of when there was an emperor. And the priests spend money like there’s no tomorrow when it comes to things related to the Dawn Army. May the Light Code be blessed.”

This is the horrific privatization fantasy—the apocalypse.

I can guarantee that the items in the ‘Exclusive Military Supply of Certain Items’ are those that Leonora, one of the sisters of the Bessia family, was in charge of, and the ‘Attack on Merchants by Some Rogues’ was something that happened at a merchant company run by the competing sisters.

Leona would also have ripped off the business rights obtained from the religious order.

I could tell because that was what Isaac mostly did when he played with the Golden Idol faith.

Leonora spoke proudly, then quickly wiped away her overly proud expression and said:

“However, the gains from war are only temporary. If the situation becomes difficult, the religious order may feel regret again, so it would be better for the war to end and peace to come before that happens. In that sense, the Golden Idol Group wishes for a quick end to this war and victory.”

Leonora said that she didn’t care about the sacrifices made in war, the proof of faith, or the declaration of victory. Isaac had once called Juan a capitalist philistine, but compared to Leonora, it seemed to pale in comparison.

After all, the ‘real thing’ is different.

Isaac could also understand the meaning of the gifts Leonora brought.

She wants to invest in Isaac.

Since they would reward her for her achievements after this war, she was betting in advance on Isaac, who would surely make a great contribution. Isaac was actually confident that he could conquer the Holy Land, so her vision was truly excellent.

However, it seemed that he still did not know that Isaac was in fact a pagan.

Or maybe it’s covered in beans.

‘The top of the golden idol is also desperate.’

Leonora spoke proudly, but Isaac could see her intentions. The achievements she had listed were ultimately intended to emphasize the importance of not throwing away the top of the golden idol.

In a time of such religious madness, the Golden Idol Clan is the weakest of the faiths. They depend on their strong faith to survive, and they have no choice but to cling to it strongly in order not to be abandoned.

If the Code of Light were to strike down the top of the Golden Idol, it would be at least as painful as cutting off an arm.

You could say it’s a symbiotic relationship.

‘Even though he’s a sociopath, this is the only way for the Golden Idol to survive… … .’

“And isn’t there one more great favor that the Holy Grail Knight has bestowed upon our ranks?”

Leonora suddenly turned her gaze to one side with a warm smile. At the end of her gaze, Angela was sitting next to Kathleen like a doll.

“I heard that you are the surviving child of the Selmon merchant. Poor people. We support, invest in, and protect the merchants, but we don’t know how to protect the Selmon merchants. Is it important to make enough money to leave your child alone?”

When Leonora looked at Angela, her eyes reddening, Isaac felt cognitive dissonance.

Is this woman, who feels embarrassed when looking at a handsome Grail Knight and whose eyes turn red when looking at an orphan who has lost his parents, really Leonora?

But Isaac soon came to his senses.

Leonora is someone who can cry here and now and sign the document selling the debtor’s children into slavery tomorrow.

“It’s a shame that this happened in such a crazy time.”

“It may be a blessing in disguise, but after hearing the report from Branch Manager Kathleen, I found out that Angela has a relative who is the same age as her great-aunt living in Bethia. The Selmon merchants often have meetings, so they have probably met before.”

Isaac felt an unexpected thrill at the news that Angela’s relative was alive. He had rescued her impulsively in the first place, and her parents were both presumed dead, so he had no intention of looking for her, but it was a blessing in disguise to have someone with blood ties in these crazy times.

“That… that’s fortunate.”

“That’s right. The Selmon merchants are very supportive of each other, even if they are doing difficult things. They are willing to adopt and raise children even if they are distant relatives, so you don’t have to worry.”

Isaac felt a strange sense of regret, but soon nodded.

The secrets or knowledge that Angela was involved in were not known, but that was not important. The restoration of the Holy Land was the work of priests, paladins, and angels. Not ten-year-old children.

If there was anything left to do for Angela, it would be to later capture a Lich from the Undead Cult and threaten him to remove the death insurance and various curses.

Even after saying that, Leonora would never sell Angela out. If she did something like that and incurred Isaac’s resentment, it would be a disaster several times over, so it was better to see it as the opposite.

The goal would be to strengthen Isaac’s bond by showing great favor to Angela and supporting her by keeping her by his side.

‘Not bad.’

The background of the Grail Knights and the support of the wounded.

Even for a mute girl, it is not easy to obtain such an environment in this harsh world. Besides, Isaac will soon be leaving for an expedition. Rather than leaving Angela abandoned in the Isacre territory, it would be better to send her to her relatives.

“i look forward to.”

In a complete reversal of his previous attitude of mindlessly refusing the onslaught of gifts, Isaac left Angela in the care of Leonora.

***

Leonora left with Angela that very day.

Despite the suggestion that she stay, Leonora hurried, saying that the business at the top was urgent. Isaac humbly declined the gifts Leonora gave him until the end, but she left them there, making the lame excuse that the horses were too tired to carry them again.

Abundant military funds and sacred relics were suddenly added.

I should have felt satisfied, but somehow it was hard to shake off the feeling of emptiness.

‘Is it because of Angela?’

Isaac didn’t really have much of a relationship with the girl. The rescue was impulsive, and since then he’s been wandering around looking for a suitable place to leave her. He can’t speak, so he can’t talk to her.

‘It might be similar to the feeling of loss you feel when you lose a puppy you raised… … .’

In the end, it felt empty to have taken the position without knowing anything about Angela and then to have it left blank.

Eventually, I realized that I didn’t even know what Angela’s real name was.

‘Now that I think about it, Angela isn’t your real name. It’s the name given to you at the Ultenheim orphanage.’

Isaac jumped up from where he was lying on the sofa.

‘… … Then what records did Leonora look in to find Angela’s relatives?’

An eerie thought ran down my spine.

Isaac followed the feeling and ran out of the monastery without any further thought. He didn’t even have time to answer Hesabel’s question about what was going on.

Leonora and her party probably haven’t gone far yet.

There was plenty of time to undo the stupidity.

[Serial] The Knight of the Dead God