Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 240:

Isaac was furious.

Until now, he had vaguely thought that the sins committed by the Nameless Chaos cult were simply ‘bad.’ He even harbored some sympathy for the fact that they all died of the White Plague. However, after reading the historical documents, his head spun.

They were people who deserved destruction.

If the Nameless Chaos hadn’t already annihilated them, Isaac might have made it his mission to do so himself.

If he had read these documents before growing with the help of the Nameless Chaos, he might have hesitated to use its miracles for his entire life.

Now, he could tolerate it because he knew that the Nameless Chaos never endorsed the past actions of the cult and showed him endless favor regardless of what he did.

However, it was still hard to accept the numerous massacres, torture, and madness carried out in the name of the Nameless Chaos.

He could understand why all faiths and followers shunned the Nameless Chaos and had the worst relations with it.

‘Even though it’s such an entity, can I tolerate it because it’s helpful?’

Perhaps 300 years was enough time to forget the shock and terror. The current generation had lost the chance to feel fear and hatred due to the persistent censorship by the cult.

For now, the bigger threat was the Immortal Order.

“For example, they performed a ritual called the Shedding Ceremony. It was a ritual to draw external power through the human body, transforming the essence beneath the skin. This ceremony was a mixture of the Key Ceremony of the Codex of Light, the Doctrine of Rebirth held by the Crucible of the World, and the Blood Ritual of the Red Chalice. The faith in the Nameless Chaos wasn’t originally rooted but seemed to be a mix of various faiths’ refuse, which is why it appears so jumbled. Naturally, the divine beasts they could summon or the power they could obtain couldn’t be normal. The ritual primarily involves transforming oneself or others, and Claire’s ritual was sloppy because she didn’t offer a proper sacrifice. The most suitable sacrifice would be a baby less than six months old…”

“Isaac, come here.”

Isolde approached Isaac and gave him a tight hug.

“First, calm down, take a deep breath.”

“Hoo.”

“Now, exhale slowly, inhale again… Look up at the sky once. Come over here to this sunny spot and get some sunlight. There.”

Isaac obediently did as he was told. As Isolde gently stroked his back, he felt his nausea subside.

The Nameless Chaos intervened to suppress his excessive emotional agitation. This was why he could perceive this world like a game. But the evil history related to the Nameless Chaos couldn’t be treated like that. Perhaps because it was connected to him, he couldn’t view it as someone else’s problem.

“Hmm, I’ve calmed down. Isolde, you’re quite good at this, aren’t you?”

“You see all sorts of things when you work as an inquisitor.”

As Isaac looked at Isolde’s bitter smile, he realized she wasn’t as surprised by the documents as he was.

She had been finding and burning such materials or eliminating the individuals involved. It was natural that she had a much higher tolerance than he did.

“I didn’t expect you to be so shocked by this, Isaac.”

Isaac silently looked at his left hand.

“It seems this is one of the tests I must face. Whether I can truly wander around trying to save people.”

Isolde quietly observed Isaac before lifting the documents.

“If that’s the case, it might be best to burn these.”

Isaac was startled and looked at her in surprise.

“Ah, no, that’s not necessary.”

“These are merely records. If they’re so evil and damaging to your mind, there’s no need to use them to perform rituals or research miracles. There’s no need to immerse yourself in or empathize with a madman’s thoughts. You’ve been doing well with your duties without such things, haven’t you?”

Isaac was at a loss for words.

As she said, no matter what the past cultists of the Nameless Chaos did, they were all already writhing in hell. Even if a few occasionally crawled up and babbled nonsense, it was the meaningless ramblings of madmen. Isaac didn’t need to respond.

All the past is gone.

Isaac, who lived in the present, didn’t need to feel pressured by the bygone Urbansus. If he hated and resented them and devoted himself to killing similar people, his own life would undoubtedly become distorted.

“Your task, Isaac, is to prevent such things from happening again. You’re already doing well and working hard, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Isaac exhaled a long sigh and slapped his cheek hard. He felt a bit more clear-headed.

It was an issue caused by being unable to completely separate the past Nameless Chaos from the current Tentacle. He could never fully forget the fear of failure, but he realized that he needed to stay alert because of it.

Seeing that Isaac had regained his composure, Isolde handed the documents back to him. He looked at them again and spoke.

“Alright. I know where I need to go now.”

“Where?”

“To the Issacrea territory. But before that, I have a place to visit. Isolde, can you go to the territory first with Angela? I’ll follow you shortly.”

***

Although documents related to the Nameless Chaos had indeed been found among the burial items in the underground catacombs, they were not the majority. Unless it was a queen’s tomb, the items taken into the coffin weren’t likely to be precious. There was always the risk of looting, and the living could use them more valuably.

In fact, most of the documents and tools Claire obtained had been secretly hidden by Camille for her to find.

So, where did the sources of these valuable materials that Camille and the Inquisition Bureau had come from?

Isaac combined his in-game knowledge with Camille’s documents to pinpoint the location.

He flew towards that place on Nell.

The wind tousled his hair.

Isaac brushed his hair back and enjoyed the breeze created by Nell slicing through the sky. As expected, Nell was a pretty decent mount. Thanks to his ability to communicate actively with Nell, it was easier to control than a horse, and its translucent body was not easily visible even in the sky.

Beside him, Hesabel flew along, her red wings spread wide. Though she was still awkward at flying, she managed to keep up, turning into red mist whenever she lagged behind. Hearing their destination, she asked Isaac curiously.

“Baelbaden? Is that the place?”

“Do you know it?”

“Of course. It’s a famous hot spring resort in the Empire. I heard it collapsed about 20 years ago…”

Baelbaden was located roughly halfway between Ultenheim and Issacrea territory. Normally, they would have to take a detour along the road, but flying allowed them to go straight there without wasting time.

It was originally a famous tourist spot visited by wealthy merchants and nobles, but it fell into ruin when the Codex of Light cracked down on it for its decadence and depravity.

“I even heard that the lord of Baden died of a heart attack because he was so enraged. Some of the visitors were priests from the Codex, after all. The sudden closure with such a flimsy excuse made people joke that a high priest might have caught a venereal disease there.”

It was impossible for the Red Chalice Club, as secretive and sinister as it was, to be unaware of a resort frequented by high-ranking officials and priests. Yet, they seemed to be unaware of the secrets surrounding it.

“There are ruins of the Nameless Chaos cult there.”

“What?!”

Hesabel was shocked at the idea that the ruins of the most notorious heretical cult in history lay beneath a resort visited by so many high-ranking officials and priests of the Empire.

Isaac continued calmly.

“The rumors about decadence and depravity were all nonsense. They orchestrated this to close the site and start an excavation.”

“Why not just declare that they found an evil site and burn it down? Why go through such trouble?”

“Probably because there was something there too valuable to burn. Or perhaps one of the high priests wanted to keep it as a private villa.”

Isaac chuckled and muttered.

“If the Inquisition Bureau isn’t doing its job properly, as a Holy Grail Knight, I should step in.”

***

With a flap of its large wings, Nell descended onto the mountainside near Baelbaden. Even from a considerable distance, the characteristic sulfur smell of the hot springs wafted through the air. Isaac patted Nell’s head, which was nuzzling against his shoulder, and gave instructions.

“Stay here and keep an eye on the surroundings. Don’t eat any people.”

Nell expressed a vague affirmation. Hesabel snorted and remarked.

“Even if you cooked and served them, it probably wouldn’t eat. It’s too full.”

“So, you’ve figured out each other’s dietary habits?”

“Well… I just need to drink blood. It’s like how some people prefer drumsticks while others prefer breast meat.”

It seemed that they had grown quite accustomed to sharing food. Despite her words, Isaac knew that they had only hunted and eaten animals, not people.

Not many people deserving to be eaten show up often… Hopefully.

***

Isaac and Hesabel infiltrated Baelbaden as night fell.

The once glorious resort, now fallen into ruin, already felt like a grand historical site.

The massive lodgings, once visited by the Emperor himself, still boasted their grandeur. Water overflowed from the central bath, running down the walls to form a stream.

Although sulfur clung to the walls like tumors due to lack of cleaning, the paths were still well-maintained, reflecting the high-status guests that used to visit.

“It’s still a decent facility, but without people, it feels eerie.”

Despite the Codex of Light’s miracles making it a place of bustling nightlife, the absence of people gave it a bizarre and eerie feeling. The only people around were probably the paladins or priests guarding the closed site.

“Who goes there!”

Like the diligent paladin approaching them now, ready to cut down any trespasser in this sacred ground of decadence and indulgence, closed by the church.

“Reveal your identity immediately, while your head is still attached…”

“Just a passing Holy Grail Knight.”

Isaac shamelessly replied to the paladin.

The paladin stood still for a moment, seemingly not understanding, then lifted his helmet in surprise. Once his vision was clear, he asked in disbelief.

“Sir Isaac Issacrea? The Saint of Resurrection? Do you not remember me?”

Isaac, prepared for a confrontation, was puzzled by the unexpected response.

“Huh? Do I know you?”

The paladin removed his helmet completely.

Isaac still didn’t recognize him. The paladin, frustrated, finally spoke first.

“It’s me. Ian of the Brient Knight Order! We sparred near the Ariet Monastery, remember?”

“Ah, the fine… young paladin.”

Isaac swallowed the words “the paladin who was smitten by my looks” and chose more socially acceptable words. Although Ian was older than Isaac, the societal gap had widened considerably, so he had to let it slide.

“What brings you here?”

“Hmm, an unannounced inspection to ensure the security of this place.”

Hesabel marveled at Isaac’s ability to lie without blinking as he spoke to the paladin.

‘Does he really think such a flimsy lie will work?’

Indeed, Ian sensed something off about the unannounced inspection, but he didn’t question it deeply.

After all, the person in front of him was the famous Holy Grail Knight, with whom he had a personal connection.

The overwhelming charm of a Nephilim instilled an unreasonable level of trust, leveraging personal connections.

“But why are you here, Sir Ian? Is the Brient Knight Order guarding this place?”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct. How did you know? Commander Rottenhammer is here too.”

Isaac smiled. It seemed like things might go smoothly.