Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 350



Only Krnovel

Episode 350. Salt Desert (3)

Fortunately, there have been no more raids since the desert ghost attack.

Some soldiers began to feel exhausted, but thanks to Isaac’s watchful eye from the rear, no one fell behind. Falling behind meant immediate death, so the soldiers gritted their teeth and continued forward.

The sight of the endless salt desert was an optical illusion in itself, making people tired.

Isaac suddenly became curious and asked Aidan.

“This may sound like a stupid question, but doesn’t salt dissolve in the ocean? Then how come this salt desert doesn’t dissolve even though it’s right next to the ocean?”

Originally, I just thought of it as a ‘miracle of God’s omnipotence’. But ultimately, it’s a question related to ‘how to get the God of the Salt Council out from under the desert’.

Isaac knew the method of using sacred objects, rituals, and sacrifices, but he had the thought that it might be possible to simply bring seawater into the salt desert and melt it all away without any of that.

Aidan looked slightly embarrassed before opening his mouth.

“I don’t know the details, but when I observed the coastline and seabed on my way here, it seemed like the sea in front of Mirmia originally formed a kind of basin.”

“Oh, in the shape of a bowl?”

“Yes. Then, when the lighthouse keeper raised that sun, the seawater in the bowl began to dry up. But as the water level began to drop, new seawater continued to flow in, and that seawater dried up again… … I heard that the process happened very quickly and in an instant. There is even a story that the curse permeated the steam created at that time and created the storm in Nightmare Strait.”

As the tides and waves changed, the seawater would seep in and out, and then dry up again, until finally the inflow began to slow down. As the boundary surface became higher, the rate at which the seawater dried up became faster than the rate at which it came in.

The result is a massive, hill-shaped salt wall that blocks the inflow of seawater, and even if it does seep in, it dries out and becomes part of the barrier before it can penetrate too deeply.

Because of this, the terrain of the salt desert is still lower than the average sea level.

Isaac even wondered if this disaster might have lowered ocean levels around the world a little.

***

If it had been a normal environment, after a day, Mirmia would have appeared beyond the haze. I thought it was a mirage, but when I looked again, it was definitely Mirmia.

The ancient city that was destroyed a thousand years ago still boasts its majestic grandeur even though it has become an uninhabited ruin.

At that moment, a group of people started riding towards Mirmia.

“Knight of the Holy Grail!”

The knight who came galloping on horseback was Lyanna Georg. A pleasantly cold aura was emanating from the holy sword Lumiad she held.

Isaac headed straight to the front of the line.

“Is there any particular damage to the Elli Army?”

“Oh, yes. A few horses were scattered, but they are slowly regaining their strength. There were no casualties.”

Isaac was relieved that the thermal measures for the Elril Army had worked properly. He had worried that the Elril knights from the cool northern lands would not be able to adapt to the heat, but they were stronger than he had thought. They fought with grit even after being hit by swords dozens of times on the battlefield, and died after the battle was over, so it was understandable.

“As you said, the buildings are in pretty good condition considering they are ruins. There are some who are feeling uneasy, but it seems like there will be no problem for the entire army to stay. We have also found a well.”

Isaac nodded.

“Very well. Sir Rottenhammer is leading those who are somewhat behind, and I would like you to distribute their loads.”

“All right.”

Thanks to Lyanna’s rejoining, the Isacrea Dawn Army’s movement speed has also increased significantly. The soldiers, excited by the prospect of reaching the legendary ancient city, whispered various legends, but as their eyes began to see the landscape of Mirmia closer and closer, they became increasingly speechless.

This ancient city, abandoned for nearly a thousand years with no rain or people coming or going, seemed to have been turned into a mummy just as it was when the disaster struck in the past.

The cursed sun seen up close was not as bright as the real sun in the distance and was red in color. The ominous, blazing flames burned like the whites of the eyes.

As the sun dried the sea and the water level dropped, Mirmia, once a port, looked like a fortress built on a hill. Thousands of ships were dried out and half-buried in salt in the port that was once the center of the south. The sight of a graveyard of ships was eerie.

The city itself was quite intact for a city that had been abandoned for a thousand years, just as Lyanna had said.

Some buildings had collapsed or were buried under the ground, but most of the buildings were intact, as if people would come out at any moment. But it was even more bizarre to think that there was not a single person in such a perfectly intact metropolis.

Rihanna asked, shuddering.

“Where did all the people who used to live here go?”

“They were scattered all over the world. Those who remained in the city fled to the desert because they could not board ships, and those who were abroad sank when they tried to return after hearing of the disaster at home… … Those who could not, settled in other ports.”

Aidan answered calmly.

The Salt Council is the successor to the faith that began in this land, Mirmia. The people of Mirmia, who worshipped the sea, were scattered across the world after the disaster and became wanderers.

In any case, among the scattered peoples, those who were relatively well off were those who had ships and went out to sea. It was natural that the scattered peoples would eventually gather back at the port and take refuge there.

It may be difficult to say that the lineage has any significance now that a thousand years have passed, but the tradition still continues. Aidan may even be a distant descendant of them.

However, rather than bloodline, the central focus of the Salt Council was the purpose of retrieving the god buried under the salt desert.

Aidan looked at the cursed sun floating over Mirmia with a face of mixed emotions.

“But I came back like this. The sun is still up.”

***

Elril’s army had prepared their camps as Isaac had requested.

Isaac ordered everyone to rest as soon as he arrived, except for a minimal number of guard troops. Isaac’s order to rest made no distinction between commanders, officers, knights, paladins, priests, or soldiers.

The Elril army was also experts in organizing camps, as well as fighting, so the soldiers were able to rest right away without much trouble.

“Isaac, would you mind if I took a tour of the city?”

There was one man who refused to rest during this time. Naturally, it was Aidan, a captain and archaeologist from the Salt Council.

Isaac looked at him with a bewildered expression, seeing him get up without even resting, despite not being as physically fit as the knights.

“Would you like to rest a little more?”

Aidan answered, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“I can’t sleep at all. I keep thinking about what kind of place I am in.”

His heart was pounding as he arrived at the exciting place, both as a Salt Council member and as an archaeologist.

Aidan looked around as if he was feeling a new sensation.

“Actually, I’m not someone who has a strong sense of belonging to the Salt Council. I’m more curious about the ruins. I originally thought that it would be quite interesting to arrive at Mirmia… … But when I actually saw it, it felt different.”

“It feels different?”

“Yes. Unlike other historical sites, I think it’s because the lifestyle of our ancestors is still alive here. The disaster came suddenly, and there was no time to pack or organize their belongings. Even a single abandoned spoon or a fallen door seems to convey the situation at the time… … I want to take a look around before the soldiers ruin this environment.”

Isaac understood Aidan’s heart.

Of course, it may not be preserved in the same condition as it was back then, but if a large number of people come and go and start moving around, it will fall apart in an instant. It was natural to want to look around a little before that happens.

Isaac thought for a moment and then nodded.

“You promised to break the salt desert and asked for my cooperation, but since I can’t do anything right away, I have to grant you this.”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. But if you search this place, you might find some clues that will help you.”

Isaac thought that it couldn’t be true, but he put it down to the thought that this was also his own arrogance.

There is more than one way to declare victory in this game. Isaac simply found one way to clear the game, but there could be many faster and more efficient ways.

“Just in case, I’ll send you an escort. But if you see anything dangerous or suspicious, run away immediately and let me know.”

“I will definitely do that.”

Aidan nodded, understanding Isaac’s concerns.

Aidan is not weak, as he is the captain of the Salt Council and can use miracles, and he willingly joined the Dawn Army. However, he could not be sent alone.

Even though it was called an empty city, it felt somewhat out of place.

‘Is that the guy who’s been watching from the salt desert?’

First of all, I told Tukhalin and Lyanna about the guy. They also felt his presence, but they expressed similar opinions that he wasn’t a big threat.

However, since there were still some things I didn’t realize what the identity was, I wasn’t sure if I could send Aidan alone.

In addition to the unidentified being, there was also a sense of discomfort throughout Mirmia.

‘Who should I send with Aidan to keep him safe?’

***

“I’m Reina Hild! You can call me Reina!”

“Uh, this is Aidan. Please take care of me… … .”

The person Isaac chose was Rayna Hild, one of the knights of Elril who had at least some rest. He thought that she was simply fierce and would be able to focus on her mission without any distracting thoughts. However, Aidan, who was relatively introverted, found her fierce energy a bit burdensome.

“I heard you’re going to uncover an ancient secret hidden in Mirmia. Who should I kill?”

“Huh? No, I’m just looking at old spoons and pillar patterns. Who are you going to kill?”

“Isn’t it common sense that you’ll end up killing something while searching a dungeon?”

Aidan noticed the difference in perception between himself and Reina.

When he sees old ruins, he thinks of them as ‘ancient ruins containing wisdom’, but Reyna thinks of them as ‘dungeons teeming with treasures and monsters’. Aidan wondered where to start correcting her common sense, and realized that most of the Elril knights would think like that.

“Well, just follow me without touching anything. If there’s something to fight about, then come forward.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Reina answered bravely and followed Aidan.

Aidan began to examine the relics and ruins left all over Mirmia. Everywhere he stepped, there were ruins, and as soon as he cleared the dust, a relic would pop out, so Aidan’s footsteps would stop every three steps.

At first, Reina watched with enthusiasm and occasionally grabbed the sword with a fierce look in her hand even when the dust flew, but as time passed, she gradually showed signs of boredom.

It was clear that this was different from the ‘dungeon exploration’ she had been expecting.

“Captain Aidan, I know what you’re doing is important, but how about we start with something a little more realistic?”

“Yes? It is also important to look into the lifestyles of ancient people.”

“Well, I don’t know much about that, but as you know, our goal is to reclaim the Holy Land. We’ll stay here for a while, but I don’t think we’ll stay long given the difficult supply situation. We’ll probably set sail again in two days. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to find all the spoons Captain Aidan wants by then. You don’t plan on staying here alone, do you?”

Aidan was a little surprised by Reina’s insight, but to her, it was a common-sense statement. Although Reina may be ignorant of things like relics and ruins, she was more knowledgeable about supply lines, advance routes, and tactics than Aidan.

In fact, Aidan, who is a member of the Salt Council, is closer to Mirmia than the Holy Land, Lua. Because of this, Aidan unconsciously had the illusion that he would stay here for a long time.

In the end, Aidan decided that it would be better to prioritize as well.

“Hmm, now that I hear it, you’re right.”

Aidan turned his head as he spoke. His gaze turned to a large temple that had caught his eye since he first arrived in Mirmia.

A pyramid-shaped temple floating directly beneath the cursed sun.

“Then let’s start looking over there today.”