Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 99



Only Krnovel

Episode 99. Confession (3)

Isolde, who returned to her room, hovered in place for a while.

‘Tentacles!’

She couldn’t even scream. Because I don’t want anyone to hear it.

In front of Isaac, he hurriedly talked about how it was a trial given to him and a symbol of suffering, but he didn’t really believe it that way.

Isolde knew very well what the tentacles symbolized and what terrible things had happened.

The history of those who worshiped the God of Chaos has been almost completely erased, but their terrible notoriety has been passed down.

‘but… … Isaac?’

The qualities and accomplishments he displayed were contrary to everything she had been taught.

Of course, it may be a deception. In fact, Isaac was revered as a pious Grail Knight and benefited greatly. And among the Heresy Questioners, the same adage was always passed down like a proverb.

The most faithful will have the most painful apostasy.

Elil who rebelled against Ruad-Din, the Red Grail that ripped out Elil’s heart, and Beshek, who was the bishop of the Code of Light but apostatized and brought the afterlife down to earth.

The world of mythology was as much a series of betrayals and conspiracies as the human world.

The Inquisitors exist to prevent something like this from happening again. So it was natural to be suspicious of Isaac. In other words, the moment Isaac showed his tentacles, Isolde should have suppressed him immediately. If that’s not possible, escape and report it.

But I didn’t want to do that.

Isolde was already well aware that the Church of the Code of Light did not follow its doctrines well. Compared to him, Isaac was making progress worthy of being named a Holy Grail Knight.

Isolde could not bear to accuse Isaac of being evil.

‘Is my faith wavering?’

No, my faith did not waver. What was shaken was trust in the church.

Isaac was sincere when he said that it might be an opportunity to change the denomination.

Thinking like that, Isolde realized that her role would not change much in the future. He said he had been sent to watch over Isaac.

She will continue to watch over Isaac. However, the purpose will be different.

Is Isaac hiding his villainous side, or is he on the verge of becoming one?

But at the same time, Isolde had other concerns as well.

‘The most faithful will have the most painful apostasy.’

A person who has given up his duties as a Heresy Inquisitor and lost his loyalty to the church.

Worried that maybe he was the one who committed the apostasy.

***

While Isaac was secluded in his room, he summarized what he had gained through this battle.

‘First of all, the reward obtained by defeating Al Duazzad… … .’

The moment he killed Al Duazzad, Isaac was caught up in the chaos that overflowed from the afterlife and was unable to come to his senses, but the nameless chaos faithfully provided rewards. Even though it was not possible to feast on Al Duazad, it was not a bad reward even considering that.

[Nameless Chaos is satisfied with the defeat of Liberation Bishop ‘Al Duazzad’.]

[The reward of chaos has been given.]

[The ‘Dark Eucharist’ characteristic has been acquired.]

[Dark Eucharist / You can feast on the target with tentacles or treat it as a ‘sacrament’. Faith increases in proportion to the quality of the Eucharist. Enemies who witness the Eucharist fall into a state of fear or confusion, but your followers fall into religious ecstasy.]

‘Is this a good trait for me?’

Isaac read the skill description with a nervous expression. It was an ability more suited to the Red Grail Club than Nameless Chaos. However, from the beginning, he also thought that there might not be much difference between tentacles that chew enemies alive and vampires that suck blood.

However, recently I felt the need to increase my faith, and it didn’t seem bad since it was said to grant a wide-area debuff or a wide-area buff to allies depending on how well it was used.

I don’t know what specific effect ‘religious ecstasy’ will have.

‘Next is the holy relic taken from Al Duazzad.’

Isaac ordered Hezabel to bring the bar.

Heshabel presented it right away, as if she had already prepared it. He was a young master who could use quite powerful miracles instantly. When I took it, it turned out to be a sacred object of considerable value. There were already burnt marks in a few places, but eight patterns still remained.

A window appeared in front of Isaac explaining what this object meant.

[The Regiment of the Prepared (S)]

[The girdle used by Bishop Beshek before he committed apostasy. It is a powerful ritual tool, and if you write down the necessary offerings and prayers in advance, you can skip complicated rituals and perform miracles. Only Bishop Beshek can erase the traces of use.]

It was a ceremonial item such as a division ceremony.

It is also an item directly related to Beshek, the god of the Immortal Church.

However, it was of a lower grade than the division ceremony. The Ritual of Division is an item directly related to the birth of God, but the Revenge of the Reserved One was simply an item that Beshek possessed when he was still human.

But it still didn’t seem bad for ceremonial purposes, perhaps because it was a god’s object.

The rite of division is a powerful ritual catalyst, allowing many procedures and materials to be omitted. However, in addition to its role as a catalyst, this Youngdae seemed to be capable of immediately activating a miracle later when needed, if a complex process was completed in advance. Like loading a bullet.

‘The problem is that we don’t know what kind of miracle there is.’

No matter how much Isaac looked, he could only see the information that it was Bishop Beshek’s reign, but he could not figure out what miracle was happening. However, if you activate it recklessly, you could get in trouble if something like a miracle of summoning undead appears.

‘It would be better to just carry this around as a buff item.’

[The holy relic ‘The Revenge of the Prepared’ has been acquired.]

[The effect of the noble journey becomes stronger.]

Because it was a holy relic with a story connected to the Immortal Emperor Beshek, Isaac was able to obtain a significant buff effect just by possessing it. It was not possible to return it in a situation where the Immortal Church was hostile, so this was the best.

‘And finally… … .’

Isaac recalled the time when he was fighting Dullahan.

That Dullahan was definitely not an ordinary swordsman. I was confident that he was a famous swordsman in the Elil Church. However, there were no clues to who he was, only the broken handle of the sword he used as a weapon remained.

The sword handle had no miracles or powers, so it was worthless. Still, I decided to keep it for now just in case.

But that wasn’t the important thing.

In the midst of a fierce battle, Isaac could feel the energy surging from within him toward the sword.

It was something different from miracles or advanced swordsmanship.

Dullahan’s swordsmanship skills were clearly superior to his own. But by absorbing his swordsmanship skills, Isaac broke his own limitations.

‘This may also be thanks to Carlsen’s talent. ‘How strong was Carlsen?’

He was a created candidate for God, a holy knight prepared as a famous angel, and a being who rose to the second rank of the Immortal Church, so it was natural for him to be strong. The more he thought about being eaten by such a being, the more bizarre it felt.

Since this ability cannot be confirmed through the status window, I decided to meditate and reflect on it while secluded in my room. If he can reawaken the sense he had back then, his level will definitely advance one level.

‘At least Gebel or higher… … .’

Among the Paladins, they are at the highest level. Isaac closed her eyes and thought back to her confrontation with the Dullahan.

***

Land, land.

The sound of metal striking resonated loudly. The blacksmith shop in the corner of the castle had been unused for a while, but the sudden heat and sound of hammering brought it to life for the first time in a long time. The man holding the hammer hammered furiously on the anvil.

People passing by glanced at the man hammering. He has a stocky but sturdy build, and his bushy beard is tanned here and there. He couldn’t help but feel curious because these were the very dwarves who were now known to have almost disappeared from the continent. A brazier craftsman who has not been seen in public for over a hundred years.

But no one spoke carelessly. This was because he had been warned that he was a guest under Isaac’s protection. Thanks to this, the furnace craftsman was able to hammer without worry.

Until someone started talking behind my back.

“Elder.”

Someone’s voice was heard through the loud metal sound. The brazier who was hammering turned his head. He looked the woman who spoke up and down, then opened his mouth.

“It’s that Inquisitor girl.”

“This is Isolde Brandt.”

When Isolde answered politely, the brazier looked at her with a stiff expression and then opened his mouth.

“It’s Ulsten. I hope you understand even if my answer is a bit harsh. This is how I normally speak… … Even though our faith is different, we are not ungrateful.”

Ulsten did not forget Isolde, who came to save him when he was surrounded by the undead of the Immortal Church on the bridge. The Inquisitor Isolde immediately recognized him as a furnace craftsman, a priest of the World’s Furnace Church, and Ulsten felt ironic that the Inquisitor had come to protect him.

“Grace. “It is natural for people belonging to the same Baekje Empire to help each other.”

“what… … “Thank you for thinking so.”

Elil, the Code of Light, the hearth of the world.

The countries that believe in these three of the nine faiths are collectively called the Baekje Kingdom.

Of course, it is not that there is no conflict or infighting, but at least we have pursued similar values ​​and maintained a good relationship. Although their relationship had become strained recently due to the increasingly dogmatic atmosphere in the Code of Light, their common history of standing together against the Black Empire still bound them.

In that respect, it was quite meaningful that Isolde and Ulsten worked together to stop the enemies of the Immortal Church. This has rarely happened recently as the World Hearth Church has fallen into isolationism.

And the reason why the Church of the World’s Hearth Church fell into isolationism – Ulsten felt awkward when the Inquisitor came out so humbly.

“This is an uncharacteristic reaction from the Inquisitor I know. They say that everyone is so arrogant that if you exchange a few words, your blood pressure will rise and you could die… … If it’s not urgent, can we talk while you make it? “If you stop midway, the quality will drop.”

Ulsten began striking the iron again. Isolde watched closely to see what the renowned brazier craftsman was hammering out by hand. But no matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like he was making a legendary sword.

“Are you Jeong?”

It was a large spike-like tool used by masons or when mining minerals.

“exactly. “I think I’ll need it soon.”

Isolde, who knew that furnace craftsmen use the miracle of the mysterious furnace to create magical weapons, thought it strange to see Ulsten sweating profusely and making a chisel. However, since it was only known that furnace craftsmen crossed the sea about a hundred years ago, she thought she must have been mistaken.

Ulsten glanced at Isolde, who seemed to be concerned about the gaze of Isolde, who was watching his work in silence. Any other person would have told him to just fuck off, but he couldn’t do that to the Heretic Questioner.

Finally, I couldn’t bear it anymore and opened my mouth.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“hmm? Alas, it’s not a big deal. As I was passing by, I saw a furnace craftsman smelting and couldn’t pass by. “Am I being rude?”

“Hmm, no. “This is like self-discipline and prayer.”

Furnace craftsmen are blacksmiths and priests of the world’s furnace cult. For those who deal with miracles of change, flame, and refinement, this refinement is like morning prayer. Just as priests of the Code of Light light candles on the altar before praying, they light a fire in a brazier and pound metal.

Ulsten said while glancing at Isolde.

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’d rather ask.”

“yes?”

“What kind of person is the Holy Grail Knight? I thought I would see him soon after he got back to the monastery, but it’s hard to see his face. Are the injuries that serious? “I heard that he even defeated an angel.”

“Ah, if you are Isaac… … .”

Isolde was speechless when she tried to talk about Isaac. Although she couldn’t say she had spent a lot of time with Isaac, she could be said to have the longest relationship among the people in this estate.

Isolde thought she saw Isaac’s true face at Ariet Monastery, but recently she has become less able to see it.

Isolde, who was struggling, managed to say something that only anyone who had met him would understand.

“You look handsome, right?”

“… … Is that it? “It’s the same with Aidan, and he always talks about it to everyone he meets.”