Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 340



Only Krnovel

Episode 340. The Sea of ​​Nightmares (2)

“Obstacles? You can avoid storms, whirlpools, and tidal waves? Or did you say the opposite?”

“yes.”

Usually, you avoid pirates, not storms. How can you avoid a huge weather phenomenon? Even the storms of Nightmare Strait will not go away unless the curse the lighthouse keeper put on Mirmia is broken.

Yenkos spoke to Isaac with a dubious expression.

“I guess you don’t know much about the sea, Knight of the Holy Grail. The sea doesn’t have any shortcuts like forests or cliffs.”

“Haven’t you ever heard the legend of the sea route that cuts through the Nightmare Strait?”

Yenko’s expression hardened. The other sailors also began to raise their voices.

The horrific environment of the Nightmare Strait is the greatest obstacle blocking their path to their holy land, Mirmia. Naturally, they must have tried countless times to break through it.

“… … Of course I’ve heard of it. There have been many captains who left their wills and sailed because of that legend. But not a single one of them has returned, except for the wreckage of their ships. Oh, I think I’ve heard of the story of a ghost ship, but that’s not the answer you’re looking for.”

Yenkos answered with a grumble, for it was a painful wound to them.

“There is a saying that when a captain is about to die or goes mad, he will head south. If we know something, there is no reason not to guide you.”

Isaac knows that too. The Salt Council members can’t lie. But they didn’t need to know in the first place.

“I know.”

Isaac’s calm answer caused silence to spread. Yenkos, Aidan, and the captains’ eyes widened rapidly.

“I, I, I, really? How on earth did you get that? Was it knowledge you gained from Urbansus? Explain in detail… …!”

As Aidan rushed to Isaac, begging for answers, Yenkos grabbed him and pulled him away.

“… … Aren’t you a land person, Knight of the Holy Grail? I understand that this is your first time in the southern seas, let alone sailing a ship. How did you navigate such a sea route… … .”

“To be exact, it’s not a route, but a ‘method.’ To be specific, it’s the ‘key’ to getting through the Nightmare Strait.”

Isaac shrugged.

“The terrible conditions of Nightmare Strait are not natural, but are a miracle. If we can find the key to destroy the miracle, we can overcome the storm.”

In this world, the captains were silent at the plausible logic that was close to the truth. They also had a legend about a holy object that calmed the sea and controlled the waves. That’s why Isaac’s words were quite persuasive. And if there was such a holy object, it would definitely be the holy object of the Salt Council.

Encos was already halfway there with that fact alone.

“… … That sounds plausible.”

“But as I said, pirate ghost ships cannot be stopped. They cannot be stopped by relics.”

The only ones who could roam the mad straits were the undead ghost ships of the Undying Cult, who could stay in the sea for a day or two without any problems. However, the Salt Council’s followers were capable sailors, but they were also sometimes brutal pirates.

They were less afraid of the ghost ship than the storm.

“Where are the keys?”

“That’s the problem.”

Isaac answered with an ambiguous smile.

“It’s inside the Nightmare Strait.”

***

Thanks to Isaac’s persuasion, the Salt Council fleet began sailing south again.

The sailors could not hide their fear at the thought of going into the forbidden waters, which could be called the bottomless pit of ships. However, thanks to the captains’ passionate rumors about the ‘holy object that calms the sea’, they continued their voyage with half fear and half excitement.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we can completely erase our fears. It seems like the sailors’ fears are being passed on to the soldiers as well.”

This was mainly the case for the Knights of Isacrea, who operated only within the vast territory of the empire, rather than the Braziers of the world or the Elil believers who occasionally took a boat ride. However, there was a bigger problem than fear, and that was seasickness.

Rottenhammer, who suffered from seasickness the most, spent half a day hanging on the railing every day. Isaac also noticed that Gebel, who was talking to him now, looked more haggard than before he got on the ship.

“Is this your first time on a boat, Mr. Gebel?”

“… … I guess so.”

Gebel answered shortly. But Isaac had never seen him seasick. But his complexion grew worse as he approached the Black Empire.

Isaac read the fear that was seeping out of Gebel, little by little, each day.

He wasn’t afraid of the sea or the ghost ship. His fears stemmed from the past.

“Mr. Gebel. Are you worried about fighting the Immortal Cult?”

“Is there anyone who isn’t afraid of battle? But I have no intention of backing down… … .”

“No, I mean, are you worried about meeting fellow knights? The Knights of Avalanche.”

When Isaac hit the nail on the head, Gebel’s expression hardened. He glared at Isaac with an angry expression for a moment, then bit his lip and nodded.

“… … Yes. I fear that their souls will eventually succumb and I will meet them as Death Knights. No, it almost certainly will.”

Is that only Gebel? Most of those who died during the last Dawn Army became undead in the territory of the Undead Cult.

It is difficult to endure for a long time the choice between submitting to the soul and maintaining the self, or serving as a slave with the soul bound forever, especially if you feel that you have been abandoned by the Light Code.

The opponents that the Dawn Army must fight are the most passionate and courageous warriors who have joined the Dawn Army in the past.

“But it’s the same. I have no intention of running away anymore. Rather, I wish to meet you. If only I could put an end to their wandering.”

If you have already apostatized to the Undying Church, there is no turning back, but if you are still a slave, you can be freed by burning your body. Gebel was betting his life on that possibility. Perhaps it was the only revenge he could have against the Code of Light.

Isaac looked at him blankly and said.

“I will help you too.”

“… … Isaac, I have already entrusted you with the heavy burden of revenge. I still don’t know the truth, but I don’t want to burden you any more. I am satisfied with just being given the opportunity.”

“Have you forgotten, Mr. Gebel? I also learned some of the swordsmanship of the Avalanche Knights.”

Isaac chuckled.

“Mr. Gebel’s goal is also my goal. If the seniors wander around like losers, what will the juniors become? If we can’t meet on the way to the Holy Land, Lua, or even after the Dawn Army ends, let’s go look for each other.”

Isaac’s cheerful answer left Gebel speechless. It was Gebel who had drawn Isaac in and taught him to take revenge on the Avalanche Knights.

Isaac, who could be called the last successor, was also fully qualified.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Gebel smiled faintly. Isaac felt relieved to see the slight fear disappear from his face.

He was secretly worried that after Gabel had taken his revenge, he would follow his comrades and commit suicide. If Isaac was by his side, Gabel might find new fulfillment.

“But right now, I’m more worried about what happens after we reach land than about my old colleagues. If it’s Mirmia, isn’t that desert beyond the outer realm?”

“What is an external view?”

“A land where the order of the Light Code has not been fulfilled and where monsters of chaos swarm. A refuge for the old gods. There may be monsters that have come from there.”

Isaac also knows about the Apocrypha. In the game, it is a kind of unimplemented area, and it is also a ‘dead zone’ where players like frogs crawl into. And that death is described as being killed by absurd monsters that the player’s abilities cannot do anything about.

But in this world, the external world is not an unrealized area or anything. It is a real land, and there are real monsters born of chaos with no name in the past. Isaac just felt a pang in his heart because he thought Gebel knew about it and pointed it out.

“Well, I guess it’ll work out somehow.”

“… … I’ve been watching you for a while, but it doesn’t seem like you’re planning properly and carrying it out. You just have an amazing ability to always figure out how to handle a situation that comes up.”

Isaac also cannot predict how the (old) nameless Chaos Force will react when they see him.

So far, there hasn’t been a very positive response, but still, you never know. For now, it seems like I should keep an eye out for the dark clouds approaching over the horizon.

The Nightmare Strait was approaching.

***

“Sail line! Wrap the sail line around your body!”

“This is crazy! We have to get out of here!”

The sea, which seemed to gradually become rougher as they went south, started to go wild at some point. Since all the sailors who had come this far were seasoned Salt Council believers, the ship barely managed to avoid capsizing, but it was only a matter of time.

Because I hadn’t even set foot on the true madness of Nightmare Strait yet.

“Eww!”

Finally, a young sailor was swept away by a large wave and fell into the sea. At that moment, Aidan opened his eyes wide and recited a prayer. Instead of sinking, the sailor bounced up to the surface. In the meantime, the sailors hurriedly threw a rope.

If the sailors were in trouble, the other soldiers would have to be concerned. Trapped in their cabins, but unable to even lie down, they learned why this sea was called the ‘Nightmare Strait’.

“The ship is turning!”

Eventually, as the line broke, ships began to be pushed aside, either by choice or involuntarily. One by one, the ships scattered in the storm and headed back north. Isaac did not order them to call back.

Because it was a pre-planned action.

‘If it is difficult to break through, don’t push yourself too hard and definitely go back. Nothing is more precious than the lives of soldiers.’

They were pretty good, but they were actually bait. Bait to get Isaac to find the key he needed to get through this nightmare strait.

That’s why Isaac hung on to the mast and never took his eyes off the horizon, even as the waves pounded his entire body.

“Knight of the Holy Grail! Should we go back now?!”

Aidan, with his waist tied tightly to the mast, approached Isaac and asked. Although he had been a sailor for decades, he could not handle this storm. Considering that this was the entrance to the Nightmare Strait, he did not even want to imagine what would happen next.

But Isaac shook his head.

“yet!”

“… … I will accept it, but I cannot guarantee that there will be no mutiny on board!”

Aidan grumbled and crawled back up the deck. Of course, mutiny on board was out of the question in this environment. Aidan’s words were merely a way of expressing his discontent.

But Isaac was just as anxious.

It would be absurd if the boat sank before it could catch its intended target. Then Isaac suddenly remembered something. He tied himself to the rope and pulled out the Ruaddin Key.

Under the stormy, cloudy sky, the Key of Ruaddin burned brightly like a lighthouse.

“Come!”

The sailors watching from the side were divided into two opinions: that Isaac had decided to use his great power to cut through the storm, and that the Grail Knight had gone mad. As time went on, they leaned more toward the latter, as there were no ships left around them.

Only Aidan’s ship, which had a heart loyal to Isaac, remained.

The Isacrea Dawn fleet was disintegrated from the start. The only ship left was the one Isaac was on.

But Isaac shook the Ruaddin Key with confidence.

“Holy Grail Knight, now… … .”

Just as Aidan was about to stop him once more, the ship suddenly lurched forward. Aidan’s desperate maneuvers prevented the ship from capsizing just before it almost capsized. He refused to do so and tried to turn the ship around, ignoring Isaac’s orders.

Then Isaac shouted.

“come!”

Isaac was looking at the water surface, not the horizon he had been looking at. A ship was rising at a terrifying speed from the bottom of the sea, along with bubbles. It was the bubbles that almost capsized the ship Isaac was on.

With a chilling chill, the infamous ghost ship of Nightmare Strait rose to the surface.