Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 368



Only Krnovel

Episode 68. The Land Where Life and Death Collapse (5)

The moment Isaac spoke, an inexplicable sense of pressure suddenly weighed down on him.

Amundalas said that Isaac’s rank had risen and he would no longer be unilaterally oppressed by the angel. However, the opponent before him was reducing Isaac to nothing.

Under the pressure that made it hard to breathe, Isaac could barely move a single finger.

Then Angela picked up a stick and tapped it on the campfire. As the sparks flew, the pressure that had been weighing down Isaac was relieved. Soon, Beshek’s apology was heard.

[I’m sorry. I was a little surprised because you didn’t know my true identity. As expected of the famous Grail Knight.]

Isaac felt more bewildered than excited by the fact that the final boss had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

I could tell just from the pressure. Isaac couldn’t defeat Beshek right now, no matter what he did.

Even in the game, the conquest of the Holy Land Lua was something that could only be accomplished through various rituals, procedures, and the cooperation of angels.

Not the extermination of Beshek.

Beshek is a being that must be avoided and run away from, not a being that can be defeated.

Fortunately for Isaac, Beshek spoke gently.

[Since you’ve come to my territory, I thought I’d stop by for a quick chat. Isaac.]

Isaac sat down cautiously next to Angela.

“I didn’t expect to meet you like this… … but honestly, I’m not that surprised.”

[Isn’t that surprising?]

“Haven’t you already helped me in Mirmia?”

Isaac glanced at Angela and said, The day he fell into the sea off Mirmia, Angela had been the first to open her mouth and say that Isaac had to be saved.

At that time, Isaac thought that Angela had been possessed by an angel he did not know and was helping her, but there was no need to search for an angel that did not exist in the golden idol.

Because Angela had another faith.

Angela is a life insured and is entitled to the protection of the Order of the Immortals.

‘So I thought it might be one of the angels of the Immortal Cult… … but I never thought it would be the Immortal Emperor Beshek himself.’

Beshek smoothed his hood with his thickly gloved hands. The inside of the hood was so pitch black that he couldn’t see anything even though he was sitting in front of the campfire.

No, there might be nothing in the first place.

“Why did you help me back then?”

[I wasn’t of much help, was I? I thought Amundalas saved you.]

“It doesn’t change the fact that you were trying to help either way. Especially when the only person you could influence was this little girl.”

Beshek was silent. Isaac couldn’t see his expression, but he thought he was smiling.

[You are indeed different from other believers. No, I don’t think any human being in the world would behave and act like you do in front of me. Is it perhaps the influence of your maternal line?]

Instead of answering, “How do you know my mother?” Isaac thought of a snowy owl.

In this world, Isaac’s biological mother is a snowy owl. The lucky man who slept with an angel, or whoever that angel is, I don’t know. In fact, Isaac didn’t know much about snowy owls.

“I don’t know what kind of person he was.”

[I see. You remind me of her in many ways.]

I felt like he was avoiding the question, but I didn’t bother to ask. Instead, I wondered if it was a good sign that Beshek was saying that he was like an angel who was part of the Light Code, or maybe even had ties to the nameless chaos.

From the perspective of the Immortal Church, aren’t they both practically enemies?

[But as I said, I came not to share my memories of her, but to share my interests with you.]

“You’re not interested in my title, are you?”

[Are you thinking of taking out life insurance or converting? The doors of the Immortal Order are always open. If you are one of them, you may be offered the position of leader immediately.]

Isaac and Beshek both knew it was a joke, so they laughed it off.

Perhaps because he was a being with a physical body on Earth, he felt strangely familiar for a god. Perhaps it was because he was the youngest of the gods.

***

[In the past, there was a great disaster on this land.]

After some time of small talk, Beshek finally got to the main point.

“disaster?”

[Yes. A large number of people were killed in less than a week, centered around the Holy Land of Lua.]

Isaac realized what Beshek was talking about. It was about the White Plague.

[Until just then, it was the golden age of the Code of Light. All faiths were holding their breath under its mighty radiance. The radiance of the Code of Light reached even the Holy Land of Lua, but beneath that intense light, there was a dark shadow.]

“… … .”

[At that time, I was the Bishop of the Light Code who was in charge of the Holy Land of Lua. As an administrator, all I did was prevent the monsters of the outside world from invading and go around supporting the villages that were under attack. In fact, I feel like I gained more experience as a military officer than as a priest. At that time, there was no concept of a paladin, so it was natural for priests to carry swords.]

Isaac felt unfamiliar with the old tales told by God. At least he heard it through Beshek’s own mouth, but he seemed to be a decent bishop.

[When the White Plague broke out, I was only thirty-four. The holy land I ruled, Lua, became a den of plague, and everywhere was filled with misfortune, wailing, and fear. Without even a cure, millions of people were turned to dust in an instant.]

Beshek suddenly raised his head and looked at Isaac.

[What could I have done in this situation?]

The people I cherish and love, the territory I must protect and govern.

They turn to dust and crumble.

Isaac tried to substitute it for the Isacre territory, and immediately felt suffocated.

Of course, it can’t be exactly the same. Isaac would never have allowed an unholy belief that wished for the destruction of the world to spread in his territory in the first place.

Isaac is constantly suspicious and wary of the chaos within his own body. When he sees others serving chaos, he forces them to reveal their true nature and see the truth.

But what if you are in an environment where you can’t fully focus on your territory like Beshek? What if you have to frequently vacate your territory because of corrupt religious orders and the invasion of the outside world?

Just like now.

[I prayed. It was the only thing I could do. I prayed for a week without eating or drinking.]

Beshek prayed and prayed desperately.

May the Law of Light shine forth with its mighty radiance and destroy this unholy plague. May He forgive and embrace again those who have sinned by lending their ear to the unholy name.

[But there was no miracle. I heard that the Holy Land, Lua, and the nearby cities were already destroyed, and that the White Plague was spreading to the continent.]

Although it might have been a disaster to the people living at the time, it might not have been such a bad thing for the gods to see the pagans who worshipped chaos dying.

Gods and angels watched as death spread across the earth.

[It was only then that I realized that gods either did not exist in the first place or were not something to be relied on.]

Beshek muttered eerily.

[So I made a hole in the palace where they were on high. It was unfair that only those on high enjoyed the power of immortality.]

The explanation of what and how was omitted.

It is known that the Immortal Cult began when people who fled the White Plague heard rumors of a ‘magical bishop’ and flocked to the Holy Land of Lua. Of course, in order to be reborn as a god there, Beshek would have had to perform a series of rituals and sacrifices.

However, it was not a ritual for him to become a god, but a way to protect people from death.

[Only then did they start to rush in, calling out things like the dawn army or something. Isn’t that funny? Those who had been sitting still while the believers were dying moved their heavy bodies when someone ‘dared’ to make a hole in their dwelling.]

***

Beshek finished his story and took a moment of silence. Isaac also remained silent, as if he was mourning the dead. Then he opened his mouth.

“Well, if Urbansus is such an important space, wouldn’t it be dangerous if even a part of it collapsed?”

Isaac remembered what the Sword of May had said.

She said that the cracks created by Beshek had to be stopped before they destroyed the world. In reality, the territory of the Undead Church is expanding day by day, and the undead are also increasing. If people do not die and live forever, then one day the entire world may actually become the territory of the Undead Church.

Isaac was not pleased with the sight of a world where all life had become undead.

But Beshek asked calmly.

[Why did you join the Dawn Army?]

Isaac was about to answer as if it was obvious, but suddenly he was speechless. In the past, Isaac would have answered that it was for wealth, fame, and survival.

It is a goal that Isaac has been pursuing ever since he was dropped into this world.

But even now, Isaac had gained enough strength to survive, and he could live in wealth and honor regardless of whether he belonged to a religion other than the Code of Light. Conquering the Holy Land of Lua was like jumping into a dangerous pit of fire.

If so, there is only one answer left.

Instead of the Code of Light taking over the Holy Land of Lua, he took over for himself.

“To occupy the Holy Land, Lua.”

[Why the Holy Land Lua? It is now nothing more than a ruin where no one lives. Of course, it has value as a religious and relic, but that is all. Is there a reason to throw so many lives into that land of nothing?]

The Code of Light advances the dawn army to usher in the millennial kingdom.

So what happens when Isaac takes over the Holy Land of Lua?

‘Huh?’

Isaac suddenly realized that he had been obsessed with the idea of ​​taking over the Holy Land, Lua, without any thought.

It was such an obvious proposition that I couldn’t even ask myself why. I couldn’t shake the thought that I had to occupy the Holy Land in order to survive.

[I know the answer, so I’ll tell you.]

Beshek answered leisurely in Isaac’s stead.

[It’s ‘pressure’. The whole world is putting pressure on you, so you feel like something that is nothing has infinite value.]

The pressure of Urbansus.

Isaac’s expression hardened as he recalled the concept.

Urbanus, the sum total of the past, also accumulates the memories and wills of the people and influences the present. The desire for the Holy Land, Lua, that has been built up over hundreds of years, is having a powerful influence on Isaac, the most sacred and revered ‘hero’ who is closest to the Holy Land, Beshek said.

[This is how the gods control humans.]

Beshek muttered as if he was mocking the gods.

[Precious lives are being thrown into the pit like flies. Could there be such a worthless sacrifice? It is all because the gods hold the afterlife in their hands and shake it.]

“You speak as if you are not God.”

Beshek let out a low laugh at Isaac’s sharp answer. But he soon erased the smile and answered in a heavy voice.

[At least I’m trying not to act like a god. That’s why I brought the afterlife down to reality. In this land, everyone can live according to their own will without being swayed by ‘pressure’.]

Except for the non-converts and zombies who work as slaves.

Of course, Isaac didn’t point out that contradiction either. It was understandable.

Rather, it was because I accepted that contradiction that I was able to see that Beshek was not talking about something out of the blue, but was an entity infinitely close to reality.

Isaac let out a long sigh.

“I understand what you wanted to say and that your actions were done with very good intentions.”

Beshek remained silent in response to Isaac’s answer. It seemed as if he had already guessed what Isaac was going to say.

“But I don’t think a world where no one dies is desirable. I have no intention of quitting the Dawn Army. I can’t let the territory of the Undead Cult expand further, and I don’t plan on turning all people into undead.”

[So do you think it’s right for everyone to die?]

Beshek tilted his head and asked.

[That kid too?]

His finger pointed at Angela. Isaac was offended by the gesture.

“Are you threatening my child’s life right now? You’re the one who put a curse on Angela to suppress her cognitive abilities and brought her here?”

[Angela is not cursed.]

Even though Beshek was verbally abused by God, he did not get angry. Instead, he responded calmly.

[She was in danger of being destroyed both in spirit and body because she saw something she shouldn’t have seen in the Holy Land. I sealed all of her memories to protect her. There were so many things intertwined that I had no choice but to impose strong restrictions.]