Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 85



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Episode 85 Book of Nameless Worms (3)

Isolde was Isolde, but Isaac had a lot of work to do before the Salt Council approached again.

Isolde, Salt Council, Estate Management. It seemed like a complicated problem where it was hard to know which one to tackle first, but it was actually tied together.

The most revealed and fundamental problem was that the territory was devastated.

And that devastation occurred in many different ways.

Kyle Hendlock had been running the estate with the money he earned through the Lorecus deal. He cannot have been interested in managing the territory, as the profits from trading in Lower Curth were much greater than the profits he earned from the territory. I found out that he was planning to leave his estate empty and go to the capital once he made a decent amount of money.

Naturally, the territory would become desolate and the population would inevitably decrease. In addition, the atmosphere was so turbulent due to recent events that even a few fields missed the planting season.

“We’re going to run out of food soon?”

“Yes, yes…” … “My lord.”

The village chief, Chonro, did not even dare to look at Isaac and bowed his head and said. He was an old man, much older than Isaac, but whether because of class or faith, he did not dare to make eye contact with Isaac.

In particular, he even saw Isaac defeat the red-fleshed prophet on the castle wall. Most of the simple villagers regarded Isaac as an incarnation of God. However, hunger made a single rural villager dare to speak to the incarnation of God.

“Spring is a time to be hungry. But didn’t you make any preparations?”

“Originally, this territory does not produce much food. So, I hunted or delivered processed products to the lord’s castle, and in return, the former lord released food, but now hunting is not going well… … .”

Isaac knew what was going on. The only way for this territory to supply food is to buy it from outside. Although there were crops and animals from small farmlands and mountains, they were far from sufficient.

However, the Lorecus incident, Kyle’s lax management, war, and even the appearance of angels combined to make it a place that merchants avoid.

This was a problem that would be solved once Caitlin from the top of the Golden Idol arrived, but the problem was that the residents’ food supply was starting to run out. This was a serious problem considering the population that would increase in the future.

‘If there is any kind of conflict between the superiors, the first to die are the subordinates.’

First, Isaac ordered the remaining food in Yeongju Castle to be distributed to the residents. Since the number of people needed to eat had decreased significantly, there was plenty of food available. But this alone was not enough to last the year.

Fortunately, there was a neighbor, Lehart, who had a fertile estate and became Isaac’s faithful follower.

“Don’t worry. We are happy to support you.”

Lehart’s trust came from believing that Isaac was a Paladin of the Code of Light. However, through a series of events, his adoration became nothing more than directed towards Isaac as an individual.

Since Isaac is currently nothing more than nameless chaos itself, Lehardt’s faith was slowly tilting towards nameless chaos.

***

The urgent fire could be extinguished with Lehardt’s help, but in the long run, the miscellaneous things that would happen in the estate could forever hold Isaac back.

This is because the problem was not just food.

After quickly looking for something to put in my mouth, issues of administration and judiciary came into view.

The administrative and judicial systems of this world did not operate according to Isaac’s common sense.

If we consider the occasionally seen technology at the level of overtechnology as a miracle by God, then the technological level of this world is similar to that of the Middle Ages.

But the administration was below that. Whenever I wonder how something is going on, ‘that word’ appears as if it were obvious.

‘If it still doesn’t work out, pray.’

It was an all-purpose language that filled in all the gaps.

In the end, even if a problem arose, priests were dispatched and miraculously solved it, so there seemed to be no reason for further development. Hendlock territory was also running erratically due to the bureaucrats’ improvisation and half-baked response.

Isaac, who had enough common sense to not cram 21st-century administration into a medieval fiefdom, first looked into whether there was such a thing as a manual in this world.

Surprisingly, the manual existed.

It didn’t help at all though.

‘The lord’s goal is to expand farmland, increase population, defend against foreign enemies, enforce the law fairly, and act shamelessly under the name of the Code of Light.’

It was hard to know what to do specifically since it was just a general idea, but first Isaac opened the map. The number of residents living in the territory, including those living in the mountains, was only about 500, which was not that large compared to the size of the territory. This is because Kyle was so focused on making money that he was indifferent to managing the residents.

It was a time when even one person’s labor was precious. Isaac first ordered a household census and updated the map. Thanks to the effect of the sanctuary, he was able to accurately determine where the map was right and wrong even within the castle.

There is a large water source in the southeast of the territory, and the water that came down from there created a valley and flowed through the territory to the northern sea. To the north was an abandoned mine where the Fallen Angel was buried, and to the west it was connected to a road leading to the center, but had been abandoned after collapsing due to a landslide.

The estate itself has beautiful scenery, but was devastated by recent events.

Reviving devastated farmland was an urgent issue. Although there are not many dependents now, it was planned to bring in many people in the long term.

It would have been difficult to at least make it self-sufficient.

However, although the territory itself had abundant water, there was not much flat land, making it unfavorable for growing crops.

Isaac thought of crops that would be suitable to grow in this type of terrain.

‘Now that I think about it, potatoes aren’t eaten in this area yet.’

When Isaac lived in a monastery, potatoes were an essential staple in every meal. However, potatoes were not actually used as food in the Gertonian Empire. This was because potatoes, a root plant growing under the dark ground, were ominous in the eyes of the Code of Light.

It was a bizarre logic, considering that Isaac was well-fed at the monastery where he lived. But the monasteries in the outskirts are very poor. If they hadn’t eaten that, half of the monks might have starved to death, so it may have been an unavoidable choice.

‘The fact that the priests living here have white bread, cheese, and meat on their tables every meal, so there’s no reason to eat potatoes, which probably also played a role… … .’

However, there was no crop as good as potatoes to grow in barren mountainous regions. Isaac started asking around to see if there were any potatoes around.

Fortunately, poachers and slash-and-burn farmers across the mountain were growing potatoes. Isaac sent Hesabel to buy potatoes and persuaded the slash-and-burn farmers to settle in the territory. Even residents who are unfamiliar with potatoes will change their minds when they see the Holy Grail Knight growing and eating them himself.

‘It’s a cliche, but there’s no reason not to use it.’

Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a lot of empty land in the territory due to the residents leaving.

Isaac was able to plant potatoes in all that empty land.

***

Next was the work of repairing the damaged castle and walls and repairing the broken roads.

The western road, which was completely blocked by a landslide, could not be solved in a day or two, so we gave up for now, but the castle still had to be repaired. While they were urgently trying to make a living, fear and anger spread among the residents when they heard that Yeongju Castle, which was widely rumored to be cursed, had to be repaired.

They say Isaac exorcised the curse, but you never know.

Of course, no resident dared to challenge the Holy Grail Knight, who had even beaten an angel.

However, Isaac considered repairing the castle walls as important as farming. Whether it’s the Red Grail, the Immortal Church, or perhaps the Code of Light, if you get involved in a conspiracy here, there’s no way you can get involved again at any time. At that time, Isaac did not want to stand on the precarious wall.

The person who stepped forward at that time was none other than Kyle Hendlock.

“If the curse may still remain, then we need to repair the castle even more. If a monster drawn by a curse were to attack, would you hide behind the wall of that humble house? Are you going to let the Holy Grail Knight live in the collapsing castle and call for help only when you need it?”

If you asked Kyle if he was the one who created that collapsing castle, you wouldn’t have anything to say, but Kyle was showing his mindset through his actions.

Kyle, who had his brain washed, from then on wore only the simplest clothes that looked like sacks of sacks, ate only the ‘potatoes’ that Isaac had started to distribute, and slept only in the prayer room in the castle. When the ‘lord’, who was known to be arrogant and stupid, showed such a sudden change, people thought that he had really come to his senses and that he had become a saint-like person under the guidance of the Holy Grail Knight.

“Wouldn’t the Holy Grail Knight help you make a living right now? These are difficult times, but we cannot allow the evil gods of heresy to continue to disrupt our lives. “Let us all follow the will of our Holy Grail Knight and fight against heretical beliefs!”

Kyle shamelessly incited them and created external enemies.

The reason Kyle was in this situation and the reason the territory was devastated was all because of the ‘God of Heresy’.

By shifting all responsibility to the Red Grail, a solidarity called ‘us’ was created. There was also a purpose to make people rely under the shadow of a giant called ‘Isaac’.

When Kyle, their lord, started the restoration work by carrying stones by hand, the people believed that there was nothing wrong with what he said and joined in the work. Forest roads that had been damaged and neglected throughout the territory also began to come back to life.

Of course, Kyle’s prayers are directed to Isaac, the nameless agent of chaos, and his thoughts would change if he knew that there was a giant bug nesting inside his brain.

Isaac smiled as he watched the construction and farmland development proceed smoothly.

‘It’s pretty good.’

Naturally, Kyle’s actions were in accordance with Isaac’s instructions. However, I couldn’t give instructions for every single detail, but Kyle did an amazing job. It was unclear whether the bug was intelligent or whether Kyle’s talent had never had a chance to shine.

The Isacrea territory was quickly falling into disrepair. However, it was still a long way from being called recovery. Problems will continue to arise, and eventually there will come a time when Isaac will have to deal with detailed instructions.

‘I can’t worry about every little detail like this.’

Isaac didn’t think too much when he decided to eat this territory. He just didn’t want to leave this land defenseless as it was the starting point of important events in the future. At the point when he had already absorbed Carlsen, the future that Isaac knew was going astray.

‘In the end, the flow of Dawn itself will proceed differently… … I need to increase my strength until then, but I can’t keep being held back by my territory.’

Fortunately, the rough composition was already in place. With Kyle as the face madam, Catelyn’s Golden Idol Merchant Marine providing supplies, and Jacquelet’s Barbary mercenaries taking charge of security, there will be some degree of stability.

But that alone is not enough.

The Immortal Church will definitely do something, the Code of Light must remain on guard, and it is not known whether the Red Grail is trustworthy enough.

‘I need a back boat.’

A rear boat just for Isaac.

[Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

***

Deep in the monastery’s basement.

In the Nameless Sanctuary of Chaos, where the great heart was pounding, Isaac was looking at the Nameless Tablet. An object that Carlsen Milter used as a trigger to become a god, and it is unclear how many beings may have been involved in its creation.

However, it was now held in Isaac’s hands, losing its owner and direction.

In fact, it had been a long time since Isaac had touched an anonymous slate. But I could not do either of these things and just left it alone.

‘To write carelessly… … ‘It’s too dangerous.’

It’s not that he didn’t think about using an anonymous Bible to elevate himself to the rank of god, as Carlsen Milter tried to do. So, to a very small extent.

It was an idea that I dismissed as soon as it occurred to me because it seemed so absurd.

One reason was that he did not have to follow the path that Carlsen Milter had failed to follow, but that was the second problem.

It was enough for Isaac to enjoy a peaceful life without being threatened.

If he had thought about becoming a god and saving people or dreaming of revenge, he would have behaved completely differently from the beginning. But such grandiose goals are far from Isaac’s dreams.

There was also an uneasy feeling that the bigger and greater the being, the more responsibility there would be.

‘but… … .’

Isaac thought as he fumbled with the obscure Bible.

‘How much stronger can I become?’