Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 315



Only Krnovel

Episode 315. Taxes and Death Are Inescapable (5)

Batena Krann seemed speechless for a while before asking.

“Do you know that I am now a member of the Immortal Order?”

“Hmm, I guess that can’t be helped, unless that desk is actually His Majesty’s torso.”

Isaac was about to compliment her on her long, thin legs, but he closed his mouth because it sounded like mockery.

Batena Krahn remained silent for a while after hearing Isaac’s words, then opened his mouth again.

“I refuse.”

Isaac wasn’t surprised. It was the answer he had expected.

“The main force of the Dawn Army is coming. My soul must prove its loyalty to the Immortal Emperor Beshek according to the contract with the Immortal Cult and must strive to prove its faith. That means I must mobilize the residents of Krahn Fortress to fight against the main force of the Dawn Army. It is not only pointless, but also foolish.”

“Residents can be evacuated.”

“Then my children will live as exiles wandering in foreign lands. It would be right for me to burn down like this and leave the Kraan Fortress to my successor. Do you intend to continue your foolish talk, Grail Knight?”

Isaac sighed.

He also knew that his suggestion might sound stupid, but he made it because he thought that returning the fortress to Batena Krann would be ‘good faith’.

Batena Krann rolled her eyes and then looked straight at Isaac.

“I guess there’s a reason you have to give me back the fortress.”

“Yes.”

“Did Richie put a curse on you?”

“That’s what it is.”

Batena Krahn remained silent for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had gathered his thoughts.

“If you would listen to one suggestion, I will think about it.”

“If you have any suggestions?”

“Become the guardian of my children.”

A guardian is someone who officially steps forward to support a family member who has lost their head of household or a promising player in need of background.

As the last of the Kran family, there was no shortage of things to worry about, but the burden of a guardian had to be considered. Especially if he was a foreigner and located in a geographically strategic location between major powers.

But Batena seemed to have considered such a burden and added:

“I don’t want money, teachings, military support, or protection. I just need you to lend me the background of the Grail Knights. This land and this clan are supported by the Grail Knights, so I just need you to leave a warning to the Order of the Light’s Law and the Order of the Undead to not do anything carelessly.”

This means that the Dawn Army should not leave any pretext for pillaging and attacking the Kraan fortress.

Because it could already be said that the Krahn Fortress is a land defiled by Batena Krahn.

Isaac thought about it for a while and decided that it wouldn’t be a burden to that extent. However, to make sure, he added one condition.

“Let us also appoint Father Siero as a guardian.”

“… … .”

“I know what you’re thinking. He’ll look like a traitor and a ridiculous clown. But I’ll make sure he gets caught. And in some ways, he’s more likely to actually protect this land than I am.”

Isaac was serious.

It was dangerous to rely solely on his own halo when even the angels already knew his true identity. However, he thought that the newly awakened Siero might care more about this land than himself if only he could save his life.

“… … Good. If that’s what you want, I’ll accept your offer.”

“Would you like to receive the Kraan Fortress?”

“I will accept it. And by the command of the Lord, the Krahn Fortress is bequeathed to Lehena Krahn. May God have mercy on me.”

The succession ceremony was held immediately after the handover. However, the requirements were met.

Isaac has handed over the Kraan Fortress to the Undead Cult, and if it is as expected, Isaac has succeeded in paying his dues. That means that the inevitable death that is upon him should be suspended.

“… … It’s not working.”

There was no message that the mission was completed. Either the fortress was not a place with a large amount of taxes to pay, or this kind of gimmick was out of the question.

“I guess it’s not working out well.”

“Yes, well. Then I guess we’ll have to go with plan two.”

Isaac turned his gaze south.

His brief wanderings were over. He now intended to hurry south before the harvesters woke up again. There was a man there who could find out what tax Isaac had been charged.

‘Sharlock and Leonora, those authors, can check what tax is on my head.’

***

“No, the Grail Knights have already left?”

“Yes. He asked for your understanding as he was leaving without being able to properly say goodbye due to his tight schedule.”

Isaac took off in a hurry on his Nell as soon as his tax payment was refused, instead giving orders through Hesabel to clean up after himself.

First, I asked for Ethelred’s understanding. It was natural that he had called the king of Elril and told him what to do, and then left without even saying goodbye.

Even if she didn’t do that, Aethelred wouldn’t have felt uncomfortable with Isaac, but it was necessary to prevent talk from spreading around her.

“Isaac was said to have been severely cursed while fighting the Undead Cult. He said that he must go to Odrif to find a way to lift the curse.”

“No, that’s… … .”

“If it’s a curse, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Even the knights who were secretly uncomfortable were convinced by the word curse.

For the knights of Elril, who had been tormented by the witch Hecatli for many years, the curse was an object of resentment and fear. They had often seen even the greatest knights suffer from the curse and destroy themselves.

“And I asked His Majesty Ethelred to take charge of the Krann Fortress. He said that since he is the highest ranking person here, he will establish an authority that no one can deny.”

“Hmm, what do you mean by training?”

“First of all, I asked that you confirm that the heirs of King Kraan are alive and that they are officially the successors. You have confirmed their status in the name of Isacrea.”

Since you could bring in a random person from nowhere to a land where the lineage was cut off and claim to be the successor, the status and morality of the guarantor were quite important. Isaac was not lacking in any of these.

It was not a difficult request, since Ethelred was only there to impose her execution power.

“I see. I have seen those children. They are young and need help, but I became king when I was only a few years older than them. I will give them a reliable knight.”

“Thank you. The second is about Father Siero.”

“Me, me?”

Siero looked up in surprise at the sudden mention of his name.

No matter how famous his name is, he is only popular among the commoners and the lower classes. He cannot help but feel intimidated in front of ‘real’ people like the King of Elil, the Knight of the Holy Grail, and the daughter of the Duke of Gulmar. And confidence is an important means of displaying charm.

Hesabel smiled and said to Siero.

“Master Isaac said, the Siero Dawn Army is finished. Father Siero also died underground. Father Siero, who was reborn from the boiling water, will not run towards death, but will return to care for the lives of the living… … he said.”

Aethelred tilted her head, but Siero immediately understood what she meant.

It means to stop the dawn army and go back.

Anyway, the closer Siero, who has no talent for organization management and warfare, approaches the Immortal Church, the more he will only incite death.

Isaac would rather use his talents to quell religious madness.

‘No, doesn’t that seem more likely to kill you?’

That meant that we had to engage in a political struggle that was diametrically opposed to the religious sect that was inciting the Dawn Army.

It was clear that the Inquisitor would be loitering around the door. And besides, the Nephilim Siero had a weakness.

Then, Siero suddenly remembered what Isaac had said, ‘Siero was reborn in boiling water.’ Then he looked at his hands.

A hand filled with swaying lights.

The hand that was taken out after being immersed in the heavenly heat of the underground waterway was an undeniable stigmata and proof of the Eucharist.

‘If it’s the Holy Eucharist, even the church can’t do anything carelessly.’

If I think about the countless number of Yeomyeong soldiers that were dragged away and then sent to their deaths, and the enormous public nuisance that the Yeomyeong soldiers caused, I will be cursed to death.

But that too was a tax imposed on Siero.

“… … I will accept it.”

Siero, who had no other choice, barely answered. Ethelred nodded as well.

“I will gather the Dawn Army and make sure they can retreat safely. However, I am not sure if the order will be carried out safely. I heard that the main force of the Dawn Army is approaching. I will not leave the remaining forces of the Dawn Army of Siero alone.”

“I guess I’ll have to find a way to handle that too… … .”

As the second agenda item was concluded, Hesabel smiled and brought out the third message.

“And the third message… … is regarding Batena Krahn. Batena Krahn has requested a cremation according to the Code of Light. His soul will return to the territory of the Undead Cult, but we ask that you give him a funeral with the bare minimum of respect for his body.”

Hesabel turned her eyes away from there and looked at Siero again.

“The resident is Rehena Kran, and the funeral is being conducted by Priest Siero.”

Siero felt the burden on his mind growing heavier.

It’s not that I want to hold a funeral for Siero because he’s pretty. I want Siero to feel even more guilty and feel even more indebted to the bereaved family members who cry at the funeral.

It may also be because there is no other priest of the Light Code nearby than Siero.

“Then, Isaac’s message ends here. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance, and especially for bringing your troops here, His Majesty Ethelred. I will meet you at Port Odrif next time.”

***

Courage is taking the initiative to do what others are unwilling to do.

But even greater courage is to admit that you are on the wrong path and turn back.

Especially when there are countless corpses of his colleagues and subordinates piled up behind him.

“… … Therefore, I want to reflect on my mistakes and errors. I have been greedy beyond the ability given to me by the Code of Light, and I have dared to challenge trials beyond the calling that I was given. Many believers have lost their lives due to this terrible failure, so I also want to ask for forgiveness from the Holy Father with my death.”

The followers of the Siero Dawn Army began to stir.

Of course, all the foolish mistakes and ridiculous errors that Siero made were clearly visible to their eyes and ears.

But even so, the recent atmosphere has not been bad.

Siero was reflecting on himself and trying to change the atmosphere of the Dawn Army, and the gang that had been clouding the atmosphere from before was nowhere to be seen. This was especially true after Siero spoke to the famous Grail Knight and had a friendly conversation, was reborn as a mystical saint, and even the King of Elril showed his respect.

“No, sir!”

A young believer jumped up and shouted.

“The mistake Father Siero made was due to the evil ones who blocked his eyes and ears. We must not fall for the tricks of the evil spirits who are trying to tarnish his reputation!”

“That’s right, Father! Please reconsider! We still can’t stop the Dawn Army!”

The cries of the soldiers of the Dawn Army began to spread here and there.

In fact, those who were fed up with Siero had already fled, and most of those who remained here were either diehard Siero fans or people with nowhere to go. The atmosphere of passionate support for Siero quickly boiled over.

Siero smiled gently.

‘As expected, everything went according to plan.’

Of course, Siero still values ​​his life immensely. He has no intention of doing something as stupid as before, but he also has no intention of voluntarily offering his life to the Vatican.

Siero opened his mouth, wiping away tears.

“I feel embarrassed because I have no way to repay your consideration and love. However, since the task given to me has proven to be too much for my abilities, I cannot continue to move forward like this.”

“Are you saying that you will discontinue the Dawn Army?”

The believer cried out in shock. Siero quickly raised his hand to stop the crowd from stirring.

“What I mean is… … .”

At the moment when I was about to explain that I would now return to the Holy Empire of Gertonia and bring a message of peace and reconciliation… I saw someone running hurriedly from across the crowd of Dawn Army.

Siero paused for a moment to wonder what was going on.

The pale-complexioned believer of the Dawn Army barely managed to speak to Siero, catching his breath.

“Inquisitor! The Inquisitor is looking for Father Siero!”

At that moment, Siero decided to throw away all anti-war movements and everything and run away.

[Serial] The Knight of the Dead God