Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 44:

It was an ambiguous statement. Was he implying that Isaac would die, or was he referring to himself?

Feeling perhaps his comment was too provocative, Yukhar continued.

“Do you have any idea how many power brokers, merchants, and knights are involved with Loracus? Even farmers have gotten involved. Imagine telling those whose heads are ablaze with joy that the treasure they’ve purchased is actually trash. What do you think would happen?”

Yukhar maintained a calm demeanor as he spoke to Isaac.

“Do you think they would listen to you? With their entire fortunes at stake? They might ignore you, or, perhaps, they might do something far more drastic to prevent the prices from falling.”

Isaac realized why Yukhar was not perturbed. He wasn’t concerned about the Shepherd’s Crook being exposed.

So many were already entangled in the Lorocus situation.

Even without the Shepherd’s Crook inciting them, the whole of Seor was rolling forward on the inertia of desire. Even knowing that destruction was the only end, no one could stop.

“Given the situation has reached this point, Holy Grail Knight, may I say something?”

“Go ahead.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there are no paladins within the Golden Idol top brass.”

It was an unexpected turn. Why suddenly bring up the Golden Idol top brass and paladins? Yukhar didn’t wait for Isaac’s response and added,

“Not even priests or angels. Only followers are present in the Golden Idol top brass.”

The reason the Golden Idol top brass could blend into the districts of other faiths without being heavily guarded by the nine faiths is precisely because it lacked priests, paladins, and angels.

Even the existence of the Golden Idol as a deity was sometimes questioned.

However, merchants have felt the grace of the deity on their wandering paths, escaped bankruptcy through his blessing, and testified to unexpected fortunes and great profits. Thanks to the faith of these merchants, the Golden Idol top brass has maintained its influence among them.

“Why is that?”

“If there were priests and paladins, they would have their own positions, and differing positions could lead to disputes. Disputes would make it difficult for merchants to permeate among different faiths and conduct trade.”

It would prevent them from achieving their most important doctrine, the pursuit of profit. Isaac, who had already seen the ending through the Golden Idol top brass, was well aware of this fact.

“Paladins and priests may be absent. Even angels. But tell me, does the Golden Idol as a deity truly exist?”

“Is this suddenly a theological discussion?”

“Other faiths communicate with their deity through priests. But there are no priests in the Golden Idol top brass. Meaning, there’s no way to communicate with the deity. It’s uncertain if he even exists.”

“I see your point. Are you a follower of the Golden Idol top brass?”

“Yes.”

Isaac seemed to understand the structure. Soer had two branch managers: Caitlin, who sought legitimate trade in the light, and Yukhar, who did not shy away from any means to make money in the shadows.

It wouldn’t be strange if Caitlin, working in the shadows, was unaware of what Yukhar was doing. Their fields were entirely different, and from the start, Yukhar’s views within the Golden Idol top brass seemed to… cross the line.

“Are you annoyed that a paladin from another faith is telling you what to do?”

“Not an incorrect statement.”

Yukhar glared at Isaac as he spoke.

“If there had been a paladin on top of the golden idol as well, you wouldn’t have been able to come here and create such a scene. A priest could curse your pocket to make holes in it.”

“A tight curse, indeed.”

Isaac snorted in disdain.

“Then, may I say something?”

“Please do.”

“Bring me a shepherd’s crook by tomorrow. If you pass it quietly, the furor over the Loracus will also die down quietly. But when I come back, it won’t end with just a conversation if you’re compliant.”

“……”

Yukhar just glared at Isaac without responding. But there was nothing he could do. Even as a member of the Golden Idol’s top echelon, killing a paladin of the Codex of Light within the White Empire was tantamount to social suicide.

The Golden Idol’s top echelon might even kill Yukhar to cut off the trail if such an event were to happen.

Isaac picked up the bottle of alcohol Yukhar had offered.

“Even though something strange was mixed in, it seems like good alcohol. I’ll be taking this.”

***

“Lord Isaac!”

As Isaac was leaving Yukhar’s mansion and heading back to his accommodations, he heard someone calling him. Caitlin was leaning out of the carriage, calling out to him.

She practically jumped down from the carriage and approached Isaac.

“What just happened? Why were you at the Count of Reben’s mansion……”

“Did you know that guy is the head of a criminal organization?”

Caitlin frowned but didn’t deny knowing it.

“I’ve heard stories of Count Reben dabbling in crime. But we can’t afford to distance ourselves from him. If we get on bad terms with the biggest black hand in Seor, it would easily ruin our business.”

Isaac didn’t blame her for her stance. Caitlin was a merchant, not a judge or a hero. To a merchant, as long as their people aren’t harmed and their goods sell well, that’s enough.

“Did you also know he’s been swindling people with Loracus, making a fortune?”

“We did interact frequently for business. But as far as I know, he wasn’t buying up much Loracus. It was on a similar level to other conglomerates, and about 1/10th of our consortium.”

Isaac looked at Caitlin with pity.

Caitlin would have drunk the Loracus wine and been tempted by the shepherd’s figurine. Thinking about how the Golden Idol’s top echelon played a major role in the Loracus price surge, she was also being used.

‘But if it weren’t for the shepherd’s figurine, would she really not have gotten involved in the trend?’

That’s unlikely. In the end, she would have ended up collaborating with Yukhar, whether she liked it or not.

Isaac finally spoke up.

“It’s all been manipulated by Yukhar.”

Isaac explained to Caitlin what he had discovered. The spike in Loracus prices was artificially created by Yukhar using the shepherd’s crook. To do this, he fed Loracus wine to the magnates and power players of Seor, stirring up their greed.

There was actually no basis for the Loracus price surge at all.

Caitlin’s expression grew darker as she listened. Especially when she heard that there was no basis for the Loracus price spike, she touched her cheek several times.

“I had assumed that some hidden effect of Loracus had been discovered, or it was because of war preparations….”

“Not everything in the world happens based on solid grounds,” Caitlin sighed deeply.

“Then… it’s pointless to track where the Loracus is going. It must have scattered, with people hoping for its price to rise.”

“Well, likely so.”

Caitlin seemed to ponder for a moment before asking Isaac.

“So, does this conclude our agreement?”

“What are you planning to do about Yukhar?”

“He will be dealt with within our consortium. Even though he hired Barbarians for the job, since it involved harming a fellow member, it’s right that we handle it ourselves. We operate on the principle of respecting each other’s territories, and I never expected him to go this far…”

Isaac decided to introduce Caitlin to Jacquette. Since Barbarian lacks faith or a deity, he would confess easily. Perhaps under Jacquette’s hand, Yukhar might even meet his end.

“Are you proceeding with the contract as usual? If you wish, I can pay in cash right now.”

Perhaps this was her main concern.

Caitlin, having heard Isaac’s words, was already anticipating a drop in the Loracus prices. Although the dramatic decline might not happen as Yukhar said, since Seor was already rolling on the inertia of greed, a drop is still a drop.

She might have thought it cheaper to settle the contract with Isaac now.

“How much?”

However, Isaac decided to hear her out. The amount Caitlin proposed was surprisingly large, enough to buy Yukhar’s mansion.

“That much?”

“Preventing a potential great loss to our consortium warrants this much at least.”

Caitlin seemed rather relieved.

Just as she said, being the first to know that the Loracus prices would fall meant that the Golden Idol Guild could minimize losses.

In fact, if played well, they could even come out with a profit.

However, Isaac shook his head after a moment of thought.

“There’s a contract with the Golden Idol guaranteeing security, so it’s better not to break it. Let’s see after a month. My faith may not align, but a god is still a god…”

Isaac paused mid-sentence.

“There are no paladins in the Golden Idol Guild, you said.”

“Yes? That’s…”

“…Is that really true?”

In other faiths, breaking an oath to a deity could result in a curse or, in the worst case, paladins or angels coming after them.

But the Golden Idol had none of those.

Yukhar, being a member of the Golden Idol consortium and lamenting the absence of priests, paladins, and angels, might be seeking something that is most desired by someone with such deficiencies.

Like other orders, he might desire the miracles of priests and the power of paladins.

What Yukhar wants is neither money nor power.

Isaac had an intuition that a paladin of the Golden Idol would come after him.

***

Late at night, a deep fog settled over Seor.

Isaac was staying at a luxurious facility provided by Caitlin. The accommodation, operated by the Golden Idol consortium itself, had facilities and a guest service system that would be considered excellent even by modern standards.

This also meant that many employees worked for the accommodation. In this era without machines, operating facilities as comfortably as those in the modern era required manpower.

Therefore, a stranger blending in naturally went unnoticed.

Because, after all, it was just a woman dressed as an ordinary maid.

The maid, carrying a laundry basket, passed among people without arousing any suspicion. She checked the register at the counter, sneaked out a master key, and reached her destination without any hindrance.

Soon, the maid arrived at a room. She used the master key to enter, finding it empty.

The maid looked around the room as if to check its layout and then approached the bed. Standing on the bed, she looked up for a moment before suddenly thrusting her hand upwards. A red spear emerged from thin air, piercing through the ceiling in an instant.

Boom. The sound of the roof being pierced echoed.

However, the maid’s face twitched. She did not feel the sensation of piercing flesh and bone she expected.

Among the falling dust, the maid transformed into red mist and surged upwards. The red mist seeped through the hole in the ceiling created by the spear. Quickly reverting to her original form, the maid looked around, but the person she expected was not there.

“A Wallachia human hunter? You again?”

The maid quickly turned her head. Her target, Isaac, fully armed from armor to sword, was looking at her.

“It was that maid after all. Somehow, her gaze seemed more ferocious than that of ordinary knights.”