Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 371



Only Krnovel

Episode 371. Division (1)

“… …What brings you here?”

Isaac calmed down, thinking that there was no need to provoke the ally, but he couldn’t erase the businesslike tone from his voice. The distance between him and Leonora was just right. If he got involved with her, it would be easy for his life to be ruined, whether he was a man or a woman.

Leonora still seemed dissatisfied, but she had too little time to engage in pointless arguments. She was the kind of person who could calculate the value of her allotted time in gold, in seconds.

“I brought additional supplies because I thought the supplies might be running low. Supplies are not available within the territory of the Immortal Cult.”

It was welcome news for Isaac.

When the time was right, Aidan was supposed to come with a second supply party, but that party arrived earlier than scheduled.

“Isn’t Aidan here?”

“Since we’re moving ahead of schedule anyway, we said it would be better to join the supply corps later. And the Golden Idol Group will help with supplies going forward.”

Isaac was both surprised and delighted to hear that the Golden Idols would help with the supply instead of Aidan. Even though Aidan was a seraph of the future who had been placed under the care of Amundalas, it would be difficult for him to fully exert his power so deep in the interior.

In a place where everyone was mentally exhausted, additional supplies were enough to boost morale. In addition, the Golden Idol’s upper echelon came with not only supplies but also news from outside.

“It is said that the main force of the Dawn Army led by Dera Heman destroyed Bel Slap, which was occupied by the Undead Cult, and repelled the Skewer Legion of the Kingdom of Walaika. The Skewer Legion retreated without a fight, but this made it clear that the Red Grail would not intervene in the Dawn Army.”

The soldiers were delighted at the news of the great victory of the Dawn Army. Voices praising the lighthouse keeper and the Code of Light were heard here and there.

Isaac sensed that there was something unsettling behind Leonora’s story, but for the sake of the soldiers’ morale, he kept silent for the time being.

Isaac gave instructions to Rottenhammer.

“Let’s make sure the soldiers are well fed and spread the news of the great victory of the Dawn Army. If the Code of Light seems likely to win, no one will think of life insurance so hastily.”

“Let’s do that.”

Whether you like the Code of Light or not, it’s all the same for now. It was good news for the soldiers who didn’t need to know the inside story. Isaac looked around and lowered his voice when it seemed like Leonora had delivered all the news.

“Leonora, and commanders, please gather here for a moment.”

From here on out, it was a story that only the commanders could share.

***

Leonora also began to tell stories that could have dampened the morale of the soldiers. First of all, about the changed direction of the Olkan discipline and the great plunder.

“The Khan’s army is moving south… … There haven’t been any major clashes yet. However, there has been intelligence that the Khan has changed.”

“The Khan changed?”

“Yes. Originally, it was one of the Khan’s personal guards, but we are still gathering information on who it is… … .”

“It must be Atlan. He is the child of the previous Khan, Sahullan Khan, through his lover. He is protected by the One Who Lives, and is skilled in handling a bow and two curved swords. He is a rare hero even among the Orcs, and he has even been given the Netherworld, so he would be a threat to any enemy.”

“… … .”

Leonora looked at Isaac with an expression that said, “How on earth do you not know such things?”

She also knew the name Atlan and the weapons he used, but she was unable to gather such detailed information. It was difficult for merchants to have spies in the orc tribes of the distant plains.

Ethelred, who was listening from the side, asked with a look of disbelief.

“No, what about the horse? That… … is that okay for an orc?”

“I understand that it is a miracle of God guided by Olkan. You could say it is a kind of saint. So all children born that way become members of the Khan’s guard. However, they are not allowed to leave behind any children.”

Ethelred looked dazed, but Leonora thought deeply about the story. She seemed to be wondering how she could find some valuable information among the new information that Isaac had conveyed.

Instead of letting her lose herself in her own thoughts, Isaac pressed her for more information about the other news.

“Leonora, as far as I know, Bel Slav is not a fortress that can be easily destroyed. The main force of the Dawn Army is, frankly, a ragtag group of strongmen. They are strong enough, but it is hard to believe that they achieved such a great victory without a proper commander.”

“It would be different if that rabble, with only so much strength, had an axe that could crush the world like cutting a cake.”

Leonora continued with a grin.

“But what the Grail Knight said is correct. Instead of facing the cake axe of the Dawn Army, the Undying Cult turned most of its forces to the rear. That’s why Bel Slav fell so easily. I don’t know if the troops they pulled out went to the Gehenna Prison Fortress or to the capital city of Ushak. Or… … .”

Isaac was now thinking about who was closest to the Holy Land, Lua.

“… … or coming here now.”

“I think it’s highly likely. I’m sure they have eyes for it, even if they’re not as good as me.”

The route taken by the Isacrea Dawn Army to approach the Holy Land Lua by breaking through the Nightmare Strait and the Salt Desert was quite a shocking approach. They must have noticed the presence of the Isacrea Dawn Army since they encountered the dead December in the Nightmare Strait, but they probably didn’t think that they would break through the Salt Desert and use it as a supply port.

The Isacrea Dawn Force has now become a powerful threat that cannot be ignored.

However, we cannot turn all our forces to the Isacrea Dawn Army. If we look away for even a moment, the axes of the Dawn Army main force could split the territory of the Undead Cult from the tip of the spear to the chin.

“The main force of the Dawn Army was an axe aimed at the head, while the Isacrea Dawn Army was a dagger under the chin. The Undead Cult could not let its guard down on either side. That is why it was decided to reduce the occupied territory.”

It is clear that the Angel of Honor will intervene, and the heroes of the old generation will appear as skeletons.

What matters is who comes this way.

‘Could that be why the Immortal Emperor appeared in person? No, of course not.’

It was probably because Beshek was the one with the most free time. The other angels would be busy trying to shake up the situation. And if Beshek wanted to stop Isaac, there would have been much more subtle and cruel methods.

In any case, the news Leonora gave him was a great help in preparing for the future.

But in the midst of all this, the active assistance from the Golden Idol was both good news and a cause for concern.

“Anyway, I appreciate all the information and supplies that the Golden Idol Group has provided. But isn’t it dangerous if the Golden Idol Group appears to be helping us now? The members of the Group might be attacked.”

“Hmm, are you worried about me?”

“Let’s say that it would be difficult if supplies were cut off. I wonder how we would be able to defend without knights or priests. If that doesn’t work out, we may split the army… … .”

“Don’t worry. I brought more than just supplies for the Grail Knights.”

As Leonora spoke, she opened the cloth that covered the cart. Inside were all sorts of unique art objects, jewels, and even rare relics. They were splendid luxury items that one would carry when dealing with royalty or great merchants. Even more so because the relics were just pretty and had no particular function.

Isaac soon realized what the items were.

“… … Are you still doing business with the Immortal Church in the midst of all this?”

“In the midst of war, a special economy of its own is formed.”

Leonora pulled out an ornate sword from the cart. It was a sacred sword that was encrusted with jewels and gave off a soft light, and while it was hardly practical, it was pretty nonetheless.

“Isn’t this truly the stuff of the Immortal Cult? They don’t eat or sleep. So there’s no such thing as ‘practicality.’ But war is the only time they’re practical. They’re like that all the time, but at that moment, they want to dress up beautifully.”

What moment makes the immortal army more practical than war?

Leonora waved the sword clumsily around, then stuffed it back into her pack as if it was heavy.

“Even in this time, there are those who want to trade with the Golden Idols. Now that there are fewer competitors, it is the right time to make a big deal.”

“If things get really urgent, they might take you hostage and threaten you.”

The ‘impatient’ people Isaac was talking about were not the Immortal Cult. Isaac had no intention of doing so, but it was possible that someone from the Dawn Corps, the Red Grail Club, or some unexpected force might move to shake up the Golden Idol’s upper echelons.

But Leonora scoffed.

“Then we will see which way the scales on top of the golden idol tip. No matter how much I calculate the price of my life, we will never forget the debt we have written down in the ledger.”

***

One of the reasons Leonora takes the risk is to investigate the ‘Hand of Midas’ a little more. The Hand of Midas is an object that makes the Platinum Society move even if it means taking a loss.

‘It’s even more urgent because we don’t know who will fall into the hands of the Holy Land Lua right away.’

Isaac decided to worry about himself first instead of worrying about Leonora, whose life was already mortgaged to the Immortal Emperor Beshek. After all, Isaac himself was the one who was more likely to be killed by the undead right now.

“Enemy appearance! A horde of undead has appeared from the front!”

This was the first enemy appearance since entering the borders of the Urdantu Empire. Strictly speaking, it was Beshek first, but Isaac did not want to consider it an enemy.

While the soldiers quickly prepared for defense, Isaac also ran forward.

Elril’s army, which was at the forefront, was the first to engage the undead forces.

Lyanna was ordering her knights to be ready to run at any moment, with a fiery roar, while Aethelred also watched the front with a tense expression.

Isaac, who had just arrived, examined the surrounding terrain.

“The location isn’t that good.”

“Hmm, that’s right. It’s a difficult environment for cavalry to be active in.”

The desert itself is not a suitable environment for horses to run, but the desert, exposed to the cold for a long time, has a solid ground. The problem is that when the wind blowing through the sandy desert and the sub-zero cold overlap, all sorts of strange terrains sometimes appear.

On a high plateau, where the terrain seemed to be tangled with the rolling waves, a group of people stood silently staring at the Elil army. Isaac realized that they had been ambushing them here, but he wondered why they were waiting in such a prominent position instead of attacking them.

Then Isaac noticed that Ethelred was looking unusually anxious.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s true… … I’m a little concerned about their troop deployment.”

Isaac wondered what he meant, but then quickly realized. Even though they were riding Phantom Steeds, those Death Knights formed a mirror image of the Elril army. It was a formation that would be used if a direct confrontation was expected, not an ambush.

Isaac felt a chilling premonition.

Looking back, the knights, including Lyanna, Cidric, and Reyna Hild, also had stern expressions on their faces, as if they had some premonition.

At that moment, a flag rose and fluttered among the Death Knight army on the hill.

“Lua Belin… … .”

Someone muttered in a bewildered voice. It was the flag of House Belin, with a red sword symbol on a green background.

The red sword, Lua Belin, appeared. The legend of the old days appeared to stop them… … The same ominous whispers spread like waves.

Before the morale he had worked so hard to build could plummet, Isaac immediately kicked his horse and leapt forward.

“teacher!”

Aethelred’s scream of horror followed, but Isaac did not stop.

‘That’s not the red sword Lua.’

The ‘development’ of this world is very twisted, but Lua Belin is not a character who should appear here. She was isolated in a place that had nothing to do with the development from the beginning. That’s why Isaac thought that even if the world turned upside down, it couldn’t be Lua.

As expected, as Isaac approached, a knight leaped out from the crowd of undead. It was a death knight wearing ornate armor with a rose and spear emblem engraved on its chest.

‘also.’

You could tell who your opponent was just by the way they ran towards you for a one-on-one duel, rather than shooting arrows or rushing in groups.

[I am Levante of the Voltero family! You, the brave, tell me your name!]

Isaac raised the corners of his mouth instead of answering.

They were not the undead led by Red Kalua, but it was clear that they were an army related to her.

Knights from Elril who fought alongside Lua Belin.

They appeared in front of their juniors holding swords.