Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 13:

The abbot’s proposal was almost equivalent to considering Isaac for priesthood.

Considering the difficulty of becoming a formal priest, this seemed premature for a 14-year-old. Not many among the monks ultimately donned the priest’s robes. However, if the abbot personally taught and recommended a student, becoming a priest would be straightforward.

“Is that okay? Isaac is only 14, as you said.”

“If the right heart and a sincere desire to praise God come together, it’s not impossible. Don’t worry. The Codex of Light will guide everything according to its principles.”

***

After breakfast, Isaac, as usual, headed to the backyard to help Gebel. However, the person waiting there wasn’t Gebel but someone else.

“Isaac.”

“Hello, Abbot Evhar.”

It was Abbot Evhar, a tall man with a lean figure, who examined Isaac while fiddling with a rosary. Isaac, however, met his gaze without any hint of anxiety, having overheard his conversation with Gebel the night before.

‘I could be the target of a witch hunt at any moment. I must be cautious until I’m certain of their trust.’

Especially now, as he was just beginning to show his potential, he couldn’t afford to relax. And today, he needed to be particularly careful.

‘If I can earn Abbot Evhar’s trust… I might learn the basics of being a Paladin, the miracles.’

Isaac met his eyes directly, determined to show confidence and integrity. However, Evhar noticed something unexpected in Isaac’s face.

‘Well… if not properly guided, he’ll break quite a few hearts.’

Recently, due to the effects of consumption, Isaac had grown remarkably. His once dull skin had begun to glow, and his skinny limbs filled out, leading to an astonishing transformation in his appearance.

Evhar, noticing this, coughed awkwardly.

Ordinary children usually found Evhar’s somber expression intimidating. However, Isaac seemed neither fearful nor expectant of what he might say.

‘Is this what they mean when they say a child grows up suddenly?’

Maybe Gebel’s claim about Isaac being a Holy Body was true.

Isaac, meanwhile, was thinking something entirely different.

‘What a grim face.’

He quickly brushed aside that thought, fearing it might be deemed disrespectful.

“I heard you have a talent for swordsmanship, Isaac.”

“Oh, yes. I am trying my best, though I lack a lot.”

The Codex of Light doesn’t forbid priests from wielding a sword. In fact, it often encourages it.

Travelling in a rough world without a weapon during pilgrimages is foolish. Especially if one risks being killed by the Immortal Order, it’s essential for a priest traveling east to be self-sufficient in defense.

“How many prayers have you memorized?”

“The prayer before meals and the morning prayer…”

“How much of the scriptures have you memorized? Do you know the Dawn Psalms, chapter 4, verse 8?”

“…I’m not sure.”

Isaac struggled to respond, but it was an unfair situation for him.

Most orphans of this era are fortunate just to survive to adulthood without starving. Learning enough skills to make a living is considered a success, so studying letters is a luxury. The monastery also provides ‘opportunities to learn letters’ but does not insist on memorizing the content of scriptures.

In essence, Evhar was making an unreasonable demand of Isaac, who had only been at the monastery for a few months.

“Can you discern whom to protect and whom to strike down if you train your sword without fully opening your eyes? I worry you’re seeking achievements too hastily.”

‘I suppose I need to memorize some scripture to become a Paladin, but starting studies already is a bit much.’

Isaac grumbled inwardly but didn’t complain. He realized Evhar’s visit and words meant an opportunity.

‘If they exempt me from needless labor and allow me to memorize or transcribe scriptures during that time, it could be beneficial.’

Evhar, however, had his own intentions.

‘If Isaac is as talented as they say, we need to secure him now to prevent him from going astray.’

Even if swordsmanship training was paused, shaping Isaac into a righteous person who understands the words of the scripture was crucial. Gaining too much power too soon at a young age could turn a saint into a mere brute.

Unbeknownst to Evhar, Isaac’s mind already contained the wisdom of an aged man.

“I apologize. I acted rashly without understanding the proper order due to feeling powerless when my friends were in danger. I reflect on my mistake.”

Isaac apologized humbly, yet with a hint of ‘remember when the kids were almost killed? Who saved them?’ in his words.

Evhar recalled the incident and flinched.

He watched Isaac for a moment before speaking.

“Right. The important thing is the heart, not the words of the scripture. I was mistaken.”

‘Huh? Why is he agreeing so quickly, despite looking so stern?’

As Isaac wondered, Evhar continued.

“I will personally teach you the words of the Codex of Light. It’ll be quicker than memorizing the scripture.”

Either way, Isaac couldn’t escape Evhar’s grasp.

Isaac, who had become a personal student of the abbot, followed him.

***

“The words the Codex of Light transmitted to the prophet Luadin were as follows: You must know that the warmth of a bonfire rising in a snowy mountain is the same as that in a desert of hardship…”

Evhar mumbled the scripture’s words as he walked through the monastery with Isaac. Isaac felt sleepy but couldn’t doze off as Evhar continued speaking while walking.

‘I’ve paid attention to even the most boring lectures, but this is too much…’

In truth, Isaac had no interest in religion. His biggest dilemma after becoming Isaac was precisely that.

He had been an atheist.

Of course, in a world where deities exist, being an atheist is absurd, but his fundamental mindset remained that of a modern human.

Prioritizing individual realities over the will of a distant divine seemed more important.

However, in this world, people greatly valued that divine will. This meant that if Isaac wanted to succeed and live well in this world, he would have to at least pretend to have faith. He had anticipated a time when this would be necessary, but it was challenging now that he was receiving focused instruction.

He knew that receiving personal instruction from the abbot was a rare opportunity.

The problem was that Evhar didn’t seem particularly talented in teaching.

“…Again, the Codex of Light ignited a flame in a closed room, filling it with smoke. The flame then extinguished. Watching this, the Codex of Light said to Luadin…”

Isaac felt so sleepy he could nod off any second.

‘I’d find a physics class more interesting than this… Wait a minute?’

Suddenly, Evhar’s words struck a familiar chord with Isaac. Until now, he hadn’t paid much attention to the words of the scripture. They were just something he knew he had to memorize eventually, not something he internalized deeply.

But as he forced himself to focus on Evhar’s monotonous words, subtle aspects touched his memory.

“…The Codex of Light said, already burned ash and smoke cannot return to being wood. Light and heat are transient, always flowing, so cherish and care for the moment…”

‘Isn’t this… thermodynamics?’

A flash of realization swept through Isaac’s mind.

Isaac wasn’t a physics major, but he had a basic understanding of the subject. He realized the words Evhar was muttering intertwined with his own rudimentary knowledge of physics.

Suddenly, everything Evhar said and what he had seen and heard in the scripture clicked into place in his mind.

It was like a moment of enlightenment.

The teachings of the Codex of Light were akin to explaining modern physics in a narrative, non-mathematical form, interwoven with moral lessons.

‘Could it be… that’s why it’s called the Codex of Light?’

Light is the fastest thing known. It’s the constant measure in the laws of physics.

If the Codex of Light is a deity, then it’s the deity of physics.

Isaac was dumbfounded by this absurd realization.

He thought he had to force himself to believe in the Codex of Light, but in fact, he had always been a follower, as modern physics was as fundamental to him as the air he breathed.

“Isaac.”

Just then, Evhar suddenly leaned in close to Isaac, causing him to startle and step back.

“You seemed to be lost in thought during my teaching.”

“…I was just reflecting on your words, Abbot.”

“Is that so? Then you should understand the bonfire analogy.”

The bonfire on the snowy mountain is the same as that in the desert.

The scripture interprets this as the Codex of Light’s power shining equally on all things, good or evil, and preaching the deity’s benevolence.

But the content had nothing to do with kindness or equality.

“Hot things are hot everywhere, and cold things are cold everywhere.”

It was an oversimplified explanation, but enough for people of this world to understand. Yet Evhar twitched at Isaac’s words.

Instead of getting angry, Evhar responded thoughtfully.

“What about the story of the closed room?”

“Everything in an isolated space keeps changing form, but nothing disappears or emerges anew.”

“And the tale of the ash?”

“High things go low, hot things cool down, and clustered things scatter.”

“Hah…”

Evhar looked at Isaac wide-eyed, constantly touching his face as he responded fluently. Isaac’s words could easily be misconstrued as heretical.

However, Evhar, who had studied scripture for decades, instinctively felt the ‘essence’ of the Codex of Light’s teachings in his words.

The scripture of Luadin had been revered as divine words, but over centuries, it was translated and scribed with interpretations by priests.

Versions filled with pleasant and moralistic content emerged.

But Isaac’s words stripped away those interpretations, getting closer to the honest essence.

‘Like Luadin, who transcribed the words of the Codex of Light?’

This realization struck Evhar like lightning.

Gebel had said Isaac was a Holy Body, chosen by the deity, a bearer of miracles.

Evhar had been skeptical, but Isaac’s words were testing enough.

‘If that’s true, am I daring to test someone chosen by the deity?’

Evhar could now somewhat comprehend the shock Gebel had felt.

Was this what being a Holy Body meant?

Yet Isaac was different from other Holy Bodies Evhar had encountered. He was a destabilizing presence, unsettling in a way.

‘If Isaac is indeed a Holy Body, he might have a world-changing mission.’

Feeling the heavy gaze, Isaac wondered if he had made a mistake.

‘I thought I answered quite well. Should I have simplified it more?’

To Isaac, Evhar’s stern face seemed either like ‘I can’t believe such a fool is in my monastery’ or ‘There’s a devil in front of me.’ But Isaac was confident that his grasp of the Codex of Light’s essence was correct.

‘Of course, I can’t decipher it into formulas.’

Isaac knew only the concept, and that too in a highly summarized form.

But this allowed him to at least pretend to understand in front of Evhar.

After a long silence, Evhar finally spoke.

“Remarkable, Isaac.”