Paladin of the Dead God

Isaac, realizing that the ‘general’ the knights had been waiting for was Lianne, lowered his sword in disbelief. Just a few days ago, they had been crossing swords, but meeting in such a far-off place felt like encountering someone from his hometown.

Edelred was particularly taken aback.

“Uh, um, Lianne? So, you… died? According to Villon, the Lady of the Lake was protecting you…”

Edelred was so flustered that he trembled despite drawing on the power of Kaldbruch. Isaac, feeling sorry for him, wanted to pat his shoulder, but Lianne seemed unconcerned.

“I’m not entirely sure what happened either. I met the Lady of the Lake, but she didn’t explain much. She just told me to stay here for a while. But…”

She cast a fearful glance at the sky but quickly looked away, unable to keep her eyes on it for long. Even a Swordmaster dared not look directly at the presence floating in the air.

Lianne, appearing confused, asked, “Is that an angel of the Codex of Light? Judging by the blinding radiance, I assume so. Who is it?”

“After clashing swords and even facing a cat together, you don’t recognize her?”

“Could it be… the Sword of May? But how…”

Realizing that the being floating in the sky was the one who had driven away the cat she had encountered, she was stunned. Fortunately, the Sword of May wasn’t a petty angel seeking revenge on Lianne for that incident.

[There won’t be any more interruptions, so that’s good. Move, Isaac. We have a long way to go.]

“Ah, yes… but where are we going?”

[To where Elil is. Calurien will be waiting there.]

The Sword of May said this and began to move silently, gliding through the air. The wings made of blazing feathers didn’t flap. After all, such a massive body wouldn’t fly by wing power alone.

The idea of walking in the afterlife seemed odd, but Isaac followed orders for now. Somehow, Lianne, also bewildered, ended up accompanying them. Isaac found it rather convenient; with her presence, there wouldn’t be any more scouting parties causing trouble.

Edelred, who walked beside Lianne with a pleased expression, asked cautiously as they moved.

“So, the Lady of the Lake told you to wait, which means you’re not definitively dead.”

Lianne nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I remember my uncle stabbing me in the chest. It was a fatal wound, and I thought it was all over. But beyond that, I’m not sure what happened. However…”

She looked around with a serene expression. The forest filled with golden leaves and chirping birds seemed to comfort her. Even though scouts of Elil were lurking menacingly beyond the woods, she felt at ease.

“In fact, I feel more at peace here than in the fortress of Elion. Thanks to the Lady of the Lake’s favor, I feel honored to stay in this heaven.”

Edelred glanced around with a perplexed look.

“So, this is Elil’s heaven?”

“Yes. Even if you die, you revive the next day, so you can always challenge strong opponents without worry. When you return to the fortress, you are greeted by magnificent scenery and abundant fields. In the battlefield governed by Elil, no deceit or vile acts are possible. This is indeed heaven.”

“Still, cultivating the Holy Land while alive…”

Edelred spoke cautiously, noticing Lianne’s apparent contentment with this place.

If a believer entered heaven, it was considered a happy ending. But while alive, one might sin and lose the chance to enter heaven. Therefore, wishing for someone in heaven to come back to life seemed questionable.

However, Isaac couldn’t shake off the feeling of disconnect in Lianne’s words. Urbansus was a collection of past moments. This meant that the scenery and time Lianne considered heaven actually existed in a certain period. Revival could be seen as a repetition of time.

“I don’t like it here. Everything turns to leaves when you die, you don’t need to eat, so there’s no appetite, and everyone’s eyes are red, looking for someone to fight…”

Hesabel grumbled. Normally quiet, she seemed irritable, perhaps still suffering from the aftereffects of her soul detachment.

Lianne ignored her, but Isaac found her words unsettling.

The heaven of the Red Chalice was a grand banquet hall filled with pleasures, delicious food, and indulgences. The meat served at the banquet were sinners who had fallen into hell.

Heaven and hell were in the same place.

‘Then Elil’s hell must be…’

Isaac thought of the knights endlessly wandering this forest. Reviving after death meant eternal life. They would fight forever but never grow stronger, only suffering eternal lack and humiliation.

This battlefield was heaven for the victors and hell for the losers.

Isaac asked Lianne what he was curious about.

“Lianne, who rules this place now?”

Lianne answered as if Isaac had asked something strange.

“Of course, it’s Elil. Who else would rule Elil’s heaven?”

Her answer confirmed Isaac’s suspicion.

This was still a time when Elil was alive and ruling the kingdom.

***

As time passed, Hesabel’s soul density adjusted to Urbansus, and she returned to her original condition, as did Edelred. However, Edelred maintained the state of drawing power from Kaldbruch as he could do so without burden.

As a result, they were quite helpful in subsequent battles.

“I’ll handle this!”

Edelred swung Kaldbruch at a massive bear charging at them, seemingly eager to test the sword’s enhanced power.

But swinging Elil’s holy sword at a mere bear was like shooting a cannon at a mosquito. Edelred was even using Isaac’s Isaac Swordsmanship.

BANG! Edelred’s light swing sliced the massive bear as if it were bitten, leaving only its head and hind legs. The body scattered in a semi-circle of blood and flesh within a 20-meter radius.

‘The power of an angel indeed. Insane.’

Isaac couldn’t help but be amazed. The holy sword’s power seemed to enhance Edelred’s swordsmanship, especially Isaac’s notoriously lethal style. Using such an attack on a person in battle would undoubtedly earn severe reprimands.

“Uh, um, so…”

While Edelred was flustered, a crossbow bolt whizzed past his hair. The bolt hit its mark perfectly, striking between the eyes of a wolf lurking in the bushes, aiming for Edelred’s nape. The blood on the arrow quickly mingled with the wolf’s fluids, causing it to crumble.

“Oh, indeed, our strength has generally increased.”

The miracles of the afterlife seemed to enhance everyone’s power to some degree. While Isaac’s own strength had grown, the overall changes were noticeable.

“But why are there so many wild beasts here? They don’t even avoid people armed with spears and swords.”

“This is the royal hunting ground. Knights come here to hone their skills,” Lianne explained, and Isaac tilted his head in confusion. Hunting grounds usually meant a place to gather meat, but it seemed the concept was different in Elil’s time.

“So, where exactly are you heading? I heard you’re going to where Elil is…”

Lianne asked the question she should have asked earlier.

“I heard you’re returning the Rite of Division. I thought you were just going to return it to the Holy Land. I hoped to receive an oracle in the process. But to come this far…”

[We are going to meet the archangel Calurien.]

The Sword of May answered in her place. Isaac hoped he wouldn’t reveal too much, but the Sword of May was notoriously indiscreet.

[Calurien has imprisoned Elil and silenced him. We will defeat him and free Elil. If you are favored by the Lady of the Lake, you could be of help. Join us.]

“What? Wait! What are you saying? You plan to harm Archangel Calurien? This cannot be allowed!”

In shock, she instinctively drew her sword. Though it wasn’t Lumiarde, it was still a finely honed blade. The problem was that around the Sword of May were countless such fine swords, broken, rusted, and reduced to trophies.

Before the Sword of May could add another trophy to its collection, Isaac quickly intervened.

“Wait, Lianne. We can explain…”

“No! This is an intolerable statement! Imprisoning Elil? Do you think such ridiculous lies would convince the protector of the Holy Land? I expected better from the renowned Sword of May, but this is disappointing!”

Lianne cast a disappointed look at Edelred as well.

“Your Majesty, did you follow this nonsense? Using Kaldbruch as a key? This is preposterous…”

“No, I….”

As Edelred wavered, Isaac had no choice but to strike Lianne on the back of the head with his hilt. However, a Swordmaster wouldn’t fall for such an attack. She deftly deflected his strike, drawing her sword back and aiming to hit Isaac’s jaw.

The next moment, her body was impaled by a massive sword. The Sword of May had attacked. Lianne looked at the sword piercing her in disbelief, but then two, three more spears and swords struck her body. She was pinned by the weapons and couldn’t even fall.

“Lianne!!”

Edelred, horrified, tried to reach her, but her body disintegrated into golden leaves before his eyes. He shouted in fury.

“What have you done?”

[What have I done? She’ll revive tomorrow. There’s no time for persuasion.]

“But still…”

Finally, Edelred seemed to remember this was heaven and calmed down, though he was still seething. When he tried to glare at the Sword of May, he staggered and nearly fell, unable to bear the angelic presence.

The Sword of May explained calmly.

[The girl is favored by the Lady of the Lake. I hoped to use her to persuade the Lady, but there’s a high chance she would betray us at a critical moment. I considered taking her along if her personal qualities allowed persuasion. But it seems unlikely. So, she’s excluded.]

Edelred couldn’t argue with the Sword of May’s “logical and considerate reasoning.”

However, Isaac feared this unempathetic angel might turn another important ally into an enemy, so he quickly intervened.

“Your Majesty, Lianne will revive anyway and won’t care about what happened in heaven. The most important thing is proving we were right. What’s more important than freeing the imprisoned Elil and receiving the oracle?”

Edelred sighed deeply, still looking resentfully at Isaac.

“I’m only listening to this angel because of you, Teacher. Without you, my stance wouldn’t be much different from Lianne’s.”

“Thank you for your trust.”

Isaac managed to placate Edelred and glared at the Sword of May.

But he was at a disadvantage in a staring contest, so he decided to try another approach.

“Let’s have a word in private.”

***

“From now on, I’ll handle all the conversations. Don’t interfere.”

[You’re quite audacious. The followers of Elil often achieve inexplicable feats. We must not underestimate them. It was a rational choice.]

Isaac glared at the Sword of May.

“So, what about me? Am I trustworthy? Didn’t you call me a monstrous hybrid favored by the Nameless Chaos? How can you trust me with this mission?”

[I didn’t say that exactly. And it’s not so much about trust as it is about capability. You seem capable of accomplishing it.]

“Ha.”

Isaac laughed in disbelief.

“I need to rethink this mission. Why should I undertake such a perilous task in the first place?”

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