Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 338



Only Krnovel

Episode 338. Brilliance (4)

“… … It seems you still haven’t given up on getting the Hand of Midas back.”

Isaac had clearly warned her. As Isaac had said, it seemed as though she had not yet given up on the Hand of Midas.

Well, I’ve wasted too much money and time to give up on a few words from Isaac.

Isaac said, tearing at the pork leg.

“I got a good meal, so I’ll pay for it. But let’s make it clear. Once I get the Hand of Midas, I’ll be the first to check it. If I’m sure there’s no problem, I’ll hand it over.”

“that…….”

“This is not something that can be compromised. I will check to see if my worries are unfounded and then move on. You honestly don’t know what kind of relic that is, do you?”

Leonora shrugged her shoulders as if she had nothing to say about that.

All he knows is that the Hand of Midas is a ‘holy object that grants wishes’, but he doesn’t know its origin or identity. If it’s something as sinister as the ‘monkey paw’ that Isaac knows, he plans to immediately destroy or bury it, regardless of its connection to the Golden Idol Association.

“I see, you are the one holding the sword. Good. But don’t forget that you are also a member of the Platinum Society.”

“Well, I guess so.”

Isaac knew that Leonora would never be convinced even if she said that. She would definitely use her hand behind his back. She would try to get the Hand of Midas out of him by planting or bribing someone. That was Leonora.

Her misfortune was that Isaac already knew her too well.

‘I have to take action right then and there as soon as I put my hand into Midas’ hands.’

But whatever it is, it’s still a long way off. Before you can get your hands on the Hand of Midas, you have to first reclaim the Holy Land.

And before that, crossing that nightmarish sea is a priority.

***

The work of loading the Isacrea Dawn Army’s ships with the necessary supplies was progressing steadily.

Loading Elril’s steeds would have been a problem, but Elril had already crossed the continent from the kingdom by ship once. The knights skillfully secured the horses to the ship, and none of the horses were causing trouble.

While Isaac was watching the loading, someone approached him.

“Teacher. Now you are finally alone.”

“your majesty.”

It was Ethelred.

Isaac was one of the people who had been the happiest when he escaped from the Milishar Monastery. He had been trying to act solemn in front of his subordinates, but now he was approaching them with a bright smile.

“I thought you would come back alive. There is no way someone like Dera Heman could stand against the great warrior of Elril.”

Isaac was briefly confused as to whether he should feel insulted as a Knight of the Codex of Light, or proud as a Champion of Elril.

Isaac answered with a serious expression.

“Dera Heman was a strong man. I almost died.”

“Really? Was he that strong?”

Ethelred asked with a pensive expression.

“Actually, I was more worried about the cunning schemes of the Inquisitor than about Dera Heman. I know that there were many honorable warriors in the Code of Light, but I’ve heard many stories of many people being falsely accused and dying unjustly instead of honorably… … .”

Ethelred was not wrong in that Isaac was actually closer to dying at the hands of an angel than at the hands of Dera Heman.

Even though Ashtur, the Angel of Elril, was an honorable Grail Knight during his lifetime, wasn’t he captured by the Inquisitors and burned at the stake?

But Ethelred soon smiled brightly.

“But you, sir, are getting out of here so nonchalantly. I am reminded once again that a warrior needs not only strength and skill, but also wisdom.”

“Please make sure to tell Reina Hild about this.”

Isaac muttered, thinking of the famous Boar Knight of the Knights of Aldeon.

“By the way, since even the teacher says so, I’m curious about Dera Heman’s skills. Everyone said that he was so great, but the teacher defeated him without even a scratch… … .”

Isaac thought that Aethelred was showing an unusual curiosity. Wasn’t Aethelred a knight-hater? He thought he would get bored with fights like who was stronger. But when he looked closely, he could see his true intentions.

Isaac smiled and stood looking straight at Aethelred.

“Then how about we have a light match after a long time, Your Majesty? I think I can show you Dera Heman’s skills, even if only lightly.”

Ethelred’s expression brightened.

Ethelred had been wanting to receive ‘lessons’ from Isaac for a long time.

Rather than a training session in the purest sense, it seemed closer to a desire to show the teacher how much he had become stronger and how much he had changed.

It was natural that his physique grew bigger and his skills improved day by day.

‘Either way, this is the realm of the Sword Master. It’s time to show off.’

Isaac pulled out Cahulin, and Ethelred pulled out Kaldbuh.

As soon as Ethelred took out Kaldbuh, his eyes began to turn a light green. It seemed that he had now gradually learned how to bring out Kaldbuh’s power to an ‘appropriate level.’

It’s not a good level to deal with Isaac, but you can’t destroy the ship.

Isaac also had to conserve his strength. In that he could not use strong techniques, the two fought with similar limitations.

‘Let’s see what your skills are.’

Isaac was the first to move.

You can see more of it in the way he responds after defense than in the way he attacks. From top to bottom, honest but fast slashing movements. Ethelred seemed surprised by the sword being faster than expected, but he blocked it with a fairly clean movement. And at the same time, he used the recoil to immediately cast an advanced sword technique.

Suddenly, three lines of scratches appeared on the deck and rushed towards Isaac. Isaac was startled when he saw them.

‘Eight branches? No, only three branches?’

It was the first time I saw Isaac’s swordsmanship being unleashed by someone other than himself. It was surprising enough, although it was unclear whether it was due to a lack of strength or a characteristic of Aethelred’s swordsmanship that only three blades were produced. Considering his age alone, he was displaying advanced swordsmanship at a younger age than Isaac.

‘It’s because Gebel taught me advanced swordsmanship late… … But let’s just take it first and see how he reacts.’

While Aethelred’s sword was flying, Isaac had enough time to analyze and think about various things. It wasn’t that Aethelred was slow, but Isaac’s reaction speed, which he had learned while dealing with Dera Heman, had increased like crazy.

Isaac moved the knife.

Crunch, crunch, bang!

The three sword energies that moved in succession destroyed the three branches that Ethelred had created in one fell swoop. Up until this point, it was a natural result. However, what happened next was something Isaac had not expected. One of the destroyed sword energies turned around and fell on Ethelred.

“Oops.”

The moment Isaac was startled, Ethelred fell down with a loud noise. His body protected by Kaldbuch was unscathed, but his blank face showed the shock he had received.

Isaac quickly approached and examined Ethelred’s condition.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I unknowingly let out a habit I developed while fighting Dera Heman.”

“… … Is this a habit you developed from fighting? How many hours did you fight for?”

Isaac estimated the time he had spent fighting Dera Heman. It probably didn’t take more than 30 minutes, even if you include the time he had fought Carlsen.

“Dera Heman had a bad technique that would destroy the opponent’s great technique and then return it back. I unknowingly imitated it. It must have been quite tiresome.”

“You learned and imitated Dera Heman’s… … technique in just a few days. I see… … .”

It wasn’t exactly a few days, but about 30 minutes, Isaac didn’t say.

It was because Ethelred looked so dead.

Isaac couldn’t understand his discouragement. Already, Ethelred was the youngest swordmaster, and perhaps the youngest advanced swordsman. Of course, he had borrowed the power of an angel, but compared to the time he had spent learning the sword, his accomplishments were incredible.

‘You can’t compare us.’

“But it’s amazing that you used eight prongs. I didn’t have time to properly teach you advanced swordsmanship… … Even if it was weak, it was a great attempt to manifest three prongs.”

“It only has three branches, but it’s so weak… … .”

Isaac thought that he didn’t have the talent to look after children. He thought about calling Angela to play the role of younger sister, but he found a more suitable word.

“This is an amazing achievement. Your Majesty, your standards are just too high. And since we have plenty of time to cross the ocean, I will tell you more during that time.”

At Isaac’s words, Ethelred’s expression brightened again. He seemed more delighted at having time to train with Isaac than at the wonder of his accomplishment.

Ethelred withdrew after receiving a promise that he would definitely train her.

But after Ethelred disappeared, Isaac had a new worry.

‘Dera Heman’s swordsmanship? This doesn’t seem ordinary.’

***

After sending Ethelred away, Isaac entered the cabin and lightly swung his sword. It was not a violent movement, but rather a simple imitation of Dera Heman’s swordsmanship, so it was not difficult even in the narrow cabin.

After repeating the movement several times, Isaac finally realized something certain.

‘You’re saying that the divine… … is being devoured?’

Dera Heman possesses a body that can devour the divinity around him. Based on the immense divinity he holds in his body, he wraps himself in miracles and blessings, and boasts a strong body that can withstand any miracle. And his swordsmanship is the same.

His advanced swordsmanship had the effect of rapidly drawing in the surrounding divinity rather than activating any noticeable effects. I don’t know if it would be enough to kick away miracles or destroy blessings, but one thing was certain: it would be extremely effective when dealing with divine beasts or angels.

Isaac changed his stance a few more times, trying to correct his swordsmanship stance.

As if pressing a button, the ‘Dera Heman Stance’, ‘Carlsen Milter Stance’, and ‘Isaac Stance’ appeared. Since they were all based on the same St. Arte swordsmanship, I could switch between them right away with just a moment of concentration.

In summary, the ‘Dera Heman Stance’ was good when dealing with angels, divine beasts, or enemies wrapped in blessings, the ‘Carlsen Milter Stance’ was effective when dealing with one-on-one opponents, and the ‘Isaac Stance’ was useful in a variety of situations, but seemed most appropriate when dealing with large groups of enemies.

Isaac renamed it after those characteristics.

‘I guess I should call them the Golden Lion, the Hunter… and the Tentacle Pose.’

The title he used for himself was vulgar, but it didn’t matter since he wasn’t going to tell anyone else about it anyway.

There was only one reason why this sudden change of posture became possible.

Carlsen Milter left a strong mark on Isaac’s body.

Isaac felt Carlsen’s ego quickly fading away in that brief moment when he was engraving Carlsen’s swordsmanship into his body. You were so busy with the battle in front of you that you didn’t pay attention, but when it was over, you wondered if that was a complete predation.

“Carlsen?”

I tried calling out to the empty space, but as usual, there was no answer. I also couldn’t tell if it was only popping out and talking when it wanted to, or if it had really been eaten and absorbed late.

However, the words that Carlsen left behind came to mind later.

‘Me and Dera, the next era is yours.’

“Ha, this son of a bitch.”

Isaac smiled bitterly, feeling unsure of how to remember this onion-like knight. He simply remembered quietly, with a heavy heart, the paladin who had been loyal to the Code of Light all his life, but who had become a traitor for the century.