Paladin of the Dead God

“The abbot had a message for you.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, I’m not sure what it means, so I’ll just tell you as it was told to me. ‘If you walk through a confusing night, focus only on the distant lantern and move forward.’ …That’s what he said.”

Tuhalin scoffed, muttering under his breath.

“Old men are always like this. They mutter grandiose proverbs, expecting the listener to figure out what it all means on their own.”

Compared to Tuhalin’s age, even Evhar was practically an infant, but the straightforward dwarf wasn’t one to appreciate cryptic sayings. Isaac shared Tuhalin’s sentiment to some degree, but he couldn’t help but ponder Evhar’s intentions.

‘Gebel knew I ate rats. He didn’t know why or for what purpose, but he knew. Maybe Evhar also realized that I wasn’t an ordinary being.’

After all, Evhar had tried to test Isaac with the miracle of “Proof of Faith” and lost his hand for it. He must have known Isaac wasn’t just a regular person, but had he also realized that Isaac wasn’t a model follower of the Codex of Light?

There was no way to know Evhar’s thoughts now.

But it seemed clear that he wished for Isaac to walk the path “focusing only on the light, no matter what dark road he walked.”

‘I suppose I pieced it together well enough.’

Isaac interpreted Evhar’s advice in this way and helped Tuhalin’s army settle into place.

The army dispatched from the World’s Forge set up camp outside the outskirts of Odryf. Their numbers weren’t large, but it was best to keep a heavily armed force outside the city to avoid intimidating the people of the trade city.

The second army to arrive was Elil’s forces.

Edelred was surprised to see Tuhalin had arrived before him, but he couldn’t deny the reality in front of him. Through Edelred, Isaac learned more about the Dawn Army of Ciero.

“Ciero has been incorporated into the Dawn Army?”

“That’s right. I heard they’re recruiting new soldiers, similar to an enlistment officer. The scattered remnants of the Ciero Dawn Army have all regrouped under the banner of the main force. It’s good news, isn’t it?”

As a member of the White Empire alliance, Edelred sincerely congratulated them. The soldiers had escaped incompetent leadership and joined a larger, stronger army. Ciero also avoided harsh punishment and even gained a position, so it all looked like good news.

But Isaac could see the deeper truth.

‘So they’ve caught him, after all.’

Isaac had hoped that Ciero would hinder the main Dawn Army, but it seemed that possibility was gone. Now, he could already see Ciero’s future—singing the Codex of Light’s propaganda like a canary trapped in a cage.

‘It’s unfortunate, but it was probably his only option after being captured. If he had tried to resist, he might have been killed, and the ragtag remnants of the Dawn Army could have been crushed. Marching with the larger army might be his best chance of survival…’

Looking on the bright side, it also meant the Immortal Order would have to devote more forces to deal with the main Dawn Army, which would relieve the pressure on Isaac’s Issacrea Dawn Army. ȒÁΝȱᛒĚṦ

Isaac still didn’t like Ciero, but he found himself curious to see how he would fare after some time had passed. The last time they met, Ciero had shown some signs of wanting to change. Isaac wondered if that spark would have died out or if it still burned within him.

The last to arrive was the Issacrea Paladin Order, led by Commander Rottenhammer. Rottenhammer clicked his tongue when he saw the other armies had already set up camp, but he accepted it without complaint.

From the start, Rottenhammer hadn’t prioritized speed.

Instead, he focused on gathering scattered imperial troops, retired paladins, and priests along the way. As a result, his forces had grown considerably by the time they arrived.

“Don’t worry about their skill or character. They said they would rather rally under the banner of the Holy Grail Knight than follow incompetent commanders.”

Rottenhammer introduced the newly joined paladins and knights. Isaac warmly shook each of their hands, expressing his gratitude for their decision to join.

“Thank you all so much. Your presence will be a great help.”

Among them were retired paladins, priests disillusioned with the Order, and knights who had lost their lords. Their armor and equipment were mismatched, and their insignias weren’t uniform, making them look more like a mercenary band than a proper order. Compared to them, even the deserter Gebel barely stood out.

But Isaac was genuinely thrilled by their arrival.

What Isaac lacked was legitimacy as a Paladin of the Codex of Light.

Though he was gathering forces under the broad banner of the White Empire, his army was essentially a coalition of foreigners and heretics. The more paladins and priests of the Codex of Light that joined, the better.

Especially those discontent with the Church.

***

‘They’ve arrived in the order I expected.’

Isaac mentally ranked and organized the forces based on their arrival and strength.

The strongest among them was Tuhalin. Isaac knew that if he were to face Tuhalin one-on-one, the outcome would be uncertain. And since this wasn’t technically an army of the Codex of Light but rather the White Empire Alliance, it made sense for a non-Codex follower like Tuhalin to be in a leadership role, such as a deputy commander.

With Tuhalin’s experience, he wasn’t a bad choice as a chief strategist or commander. He was also old enough that he could mediate conflicts with other faiths.

Of course, it would be a problem if Tuhalin’s fiery temper flared up, but for now, Isaac was content.

‘Good. Now that things are in place, it’s time to move on to the next step.’

There was a reason Isaac had come south while the main Dawn Army moved east. It was time to move to the next phase.

But Isaac’s plans didn’t proceed as smoothly as he had hoped.

An unexpected message came his way.

“Isaac.”

One day, Gebel urgently sought out Isaac.

“The Inquisitors are looking for you. Someone named Soltnar Culvain.”

Isaac felt a wave of déjà vu. But this time, unlike before, he sensed that events were moving in a far more ominous direction.

A flock of ravens cawed fiercely in the skies above Odryf.

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