Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 72:

“A saint?”

Isaac stiffened slightly.

Isolde spoke as if it was a joyous occasion, but to Isaac, it was anything but pleasant.

It was fine to be a saint. Isaac had tried to hide that he was a saint not because he wasn’t a saint as defined by the Codex of light, but because he was too young at the time. But now, he had the power to protect himself and was gaining fame. He was no longer in a position to be unilaterally influenced.

However, being designated a saint was different. Although he still intended to become a star paladin who attracts as much attention as possible, becoming a saint was taking things too far.

A saint is someone blessed by God. However, what a saint does with their abilities is of no concern to God.

But an saint is someone recommended by humans to God.

In other words, it’s not just humans who take notice but also the gods.

Specifically, it’s akin to putting someone in front of gods or angels and saying, “Look at this person! Impressive, isn’t it? Don’t you feel like giving them a wing or something?” Naturally, attracting the attention of angels or gods could only be uncomfortable for Isaac, who had many secrets.

“Being designated as an saint could be advantageous, but it’s inconvenient now.”

While Isaac was deep in thought, a question suddenly crossed his mind.

He said with a humble smile, “Me, an saint? It’s merely due to luck and divine favor. It’s nothing more than a fluke. Becoming a saint can’t be that simple, can it?”

“Ah, I mentioned it earlier. I plan to nominate you as a candidate for saint designation. Of course. It’s not possible to designate someone as a saint on the spot.”

Isolde’s cheerful words brought relief to Isaac, but internally, he cursed. Becoming a saint and being a candidate were entirely different things. A few saint candidates are mentioned each year from across the continent.

But Isolde’s words continued, pressing down on Isaac’s relieved heart.

“However, defeating an angel is a great achievement, isn’t it? If even the bishop comes to verify it personally, it seems the church is quite determined.”

“……”

Isaac remained silent.

Local nobles trying to elevate their reputation, or country bumpkins mistaking miracles for attempts to be declared saints, were not uncommon. Compared to them, Isaac had indeed accomplished a real feat.

But the real feat isn’t what’s important in being designated a saint.

While sainthood is a matter of the divine, saint designation is a human affair.

In other words, the political situation and the individual’s stance are crucial.

And Isaac tried hard to delve into the intricacies of this saint designation issue.

“The church is in a hurry to designate a saint? To use as a figurehead for the Dawn Army? To hold onto a usable paladin? No.”

The most recent saint was Kalsen Miller, and his end was tragic. It was a loss of face for the church.

Thus, there was a need to quickly cover up the tainted title of saint.

And the reason for the rush was……

Suddenly, enlightenment came.

“The church is in a power struggle with the emperor.”

The essence of the situation wasn’t about whether Isaac was really suitable to be an saint.

The Codex of light was looking for a counterbalance to Gerthonia’s emperor, Waltzemer.

***

Isaac began to contemplate in his room while the church’s people conducted their investigation, trying to sort out his complicated thoughts.

The Gerthonia Empire, more commonly known as the White Empire, reveres the Codex of light.

Like other nations in this world, Gerthonia has a powerful religious authority, and even the royalty and nobility cannot easily oppose the church.

“But everything changed when the current emperor, Waltzemer, ascended to the throne…

The current emperor, Waltzemer, is a saint.

The brilliantly shining horns above his head, his unbelievable strength, and the powerful miracles bestowed upon him were evidence of this.

Waltzemer ended the imperial internal power struggles in an instant after becoming emperor, bringing balance to a power structure that had been overly tilted towards the Codex of light.

The Codex of light side was naturally discontented, but they couldn’t complain too harshly.

‘After all, he’s not just any emperor. He’s a saint.’

A saint, to varying degrees, is an entity in which the will of God is embodied in flesh. The stronger their power, the stronger the divine will projected onto their body. And Waltzemer was an undeniable possessor of powerful miracles.

The church could not easily go against such a blatant manifestation of God’s will.

However, the emperor also could not excessively weaken the church’s power. After all, the power he wielded was derived from his faith in the canon of light.

Thanks to this, a peculiar balance was the political structure of the current White Empire.

‘In the midst of this, a Holy Grail Knight appears who has defeated the angel of the Red Chalice, and he might even be a saint? Whether he’s a real saint or not, they’ll definitely try to make him a saint.’

Isaac understood the situation and felt overwhelmed.

The church wanted to use Isaac as a symbol to stand against the emperor.

That meant he would have to become a breakwater facing checks and balances from the emperor and the nobles.

Surely he would rise in status, but if the nobles became desperate to find his weakness, his precious ‘secret’ could be exposed.

Would the church actively protect Isaac? Unlikely. They would probably urge him to fight more, and if his secrets were discovered, they wouldn’t hesitate to speak up.

Above all, Emperor Waltzemer himself was the problem.

‘Waltzemer… could be considered the final boss of the side aligned with the canon of light.’

In the game context, the final boss of the Immortal Church is the Immortal Emperor Besherk. However, if Besherk is excluded as a god, then Karlsen Miller could be considered the final boss.

On the opposite side, Waltzemer is the final boss for those aligned with the codex of light.

Although Isaac had devoured Kalsen, it was a stroke of luck, and moreover, it happened before Kalsen had fully awakened as a grand warrior of the Immortal Church. Since Waltzemer was in his prime from the start to the end of the Dawn Army, Isaac would definitely find it difficult to approach him now.

‘No, wait. If I use this situation correctly…?’

A smile appeared on Isaac’s lips.

The conflict between the church and the emperor. And himself at the center of it.

‘Am I not holding the trump card?’

If he managed to walk the line between the two, he might gain much more than initially planned.

Then, Isaac received a message.

It was Hesabel.

[It seems the central nobles have arrived.]

Isaac’s smile deepened. The perfect counterweight had arrived.

***

Thudding sounds of horse hooves loudly beat against the entrance of Hendrake Castle. Hearing the noise, Reinhardt and his soldiers hurried to the front of the castle gates. The ones who came to a halt amidst a cloud of dust were a group of cavalrymen.

“Reinhardt? Count Reinhardt!”

A woman with a distinctive build among the dust-covered cavalrymen jumped down. Her armor looked splendid, but it appeared worn and faded due to the tremendous amount of dust covering it.

Reinhardt looked at the woman who had jumped down in surprise.

“Lady Lyon? Why so early…”

“Where is the Holy Grail Knight! He must still be inside, right?”

The woman, showing no time for greetings, hastily sought Isaac first. She quickly approached Reinhardt, still in a daze, grabbed the shoulder of a knight standing by her, and shook him.

“Is it this person? This one? Or that one?”

“Here, this person.”

Reinhardt introduced Isaac hastily before she could cause any rudeness.

The countess looked at Isaac with surprise.

She was not someone accustomed to hiding her thoughts.

“Amazingly young! And handsome, too!”

“I’m Isaac.”

Isaac responded, feeling calm amidst the chaos. The woman finally collected herself and showed proper manners.

“I’m Delia Lyon. Holy Grail Knight! I’ve heard of your great achievements!”

Delia grabbed Isaac’s hand with her dusty hands and shook it frantically. She only realized her impoliteness after a moment and tried to wipe her hands on her clothes, but her clothes were just as dusty. It was only after a servant rushed over with a handkerchief that she could properly clean her hands.

“You seem to have come in a hurry.”

Isaac had heard that people from the central region were supposed to come four days later. It was already fast for someone from the order to come, but this seemed like they had run here risking their lives.

Delia screamed with a twisted face.

“I had to! That senile old…”

She stopped speaking only when a servant hurriedly pulled her back.

Isaac couldn’t understand how such a blunt noble could survive in the central region, where fierce secret battles were fought.

“Yes. That senile angel of the Red Chalice caused a disturbance here. Thank you for coming so hastily for a righteous cause.”

Isaac managed to smooth things over, and curiosity flickered in Delia’s eyes. Isaac did not miss that look. He thought that maybe her earlier words were not a slip of the tongue.

Maybe her apparent carelessness and openness were a deception.

“I had planned to come with enough time to recruit mercenaries and scout. But then I heard stories of an angel appearing, a Grail Knight defeating it, and priests from the order rushing over. So, I rushed over with just my escorts.”

Isaac understood how she could arrive so quickly. If it wasn’t for preparing a siege but just coming by themselves, they could significantly shorten the timeframe. However, it was no ordinary distance, as the knights and nobles who accompanied her seemed like they could fall off their horses and d*e at any moment.

Delia was the only one energetically chattering.

“We shouldn’t be standing here. Let’s go inside! Have something to eat and also visit the place where the angel was vanquished!”

As Delia led the way, Reinhardt hurriedly followed.

“You should wash up first. And the angel wasn’t killed, it was banished…”

“Same difference!”

Isaac watched the knights disappear into the castle gates.

‘Interesting.’

Both the priests of the order and the central nobles had initially come to collect debts from Kyle Hendrake. But now, it seemed like that was no longer their main concern.

Of course, they were confident in collecting the debt, so perhaps they were ready to move on to the next step, but it was clear that it wasn’t their most important concern.

‘First, let’s see what I can gain from this situation…’

Becoming a saint would be a concern for later.

There are ways, after all.

***

Hendrake Castle was partly damaged or yet to be cleaned, but most facilities were still usable.

The meeting room, which also served as a chapel, was a prime example. Although Kyle was not particularly devout, the chapel seemed to have been spared the major influence of the Red Chalice.

At that place, Juan, a bishop of the Codex of Light, and Delia, a duchess from the central region, met. Delia, having hastily washed and changed her clothes, tried to suppress her curling lips at the sight of Juan.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Bishop Juan Liard. I am Delia Lyon, a humble believer.”

However, she approached Bishop Juan without hesitation, knelt on one knee, and kissed his ring finger in greeting.

“It’s bright to meet you, Duchess Delia.”

While Juan mumbled something, a young priest relayed his words. Although it seemed like a cordial greeting, Isaac felt a tense atmosphere between them.

A tension was also felt among the other knights and nobles who accompanied Delia.

And Isaac was at the center of this tense atmosphere. He knew he was in a precarious situation but decided to enjoy the attention focused on him.

Breaking the tension and bouncing around on it was all up to his decision.

Isaac spoke first.

“Now, everyone. Since the matter is urgent, let’s deal with the important issues first.”

“Important issues?”

As Delia and Juan’s attention focused, the tension grew even more.

Isaac, enjoying the chilling attention, began to speak.

“Yes.”

Isaac tapped the table in the chapel and said,

“It’s about how to dispose of the Hendrake territory.”