Paladin of the Dead God

“That doesn’t mean hiring Wallachian human hunters! Are you out of your mind?”

Isaac had heard about it at the ‘Laughing Octopus’ tavern, but he hadn’t actually thought Shalok would go that far. It was too much of a burden. Not only were they hostile heretics, but how could anyone trust a group of bloodsucking cannibals and keep them nearby?

He had considered it might just be a nasty rumor, but just in case, he had searched the theater beforehand, looking for any dark, damp, and cramped places that Hesabel would frequent.

Places similar to where cockroaches lived.

But there had been no one.

Shalok hadn’t hidden the human hunters; he had openly cast them as actors.

When Isaac saw more actors charging at him, he didn’t hesitate to jump out the window.

The followers of the Red Chalice were generally beautiful, so they’d make decent actors.

However, Shalok was probably the only lunatic within the Gerthonia Holy Empire who would think to use vampiric cannibals as actors.

Bang! Thud! Human hunters followed Isaac, running along walls and leaping onto rooftops, starting a nightmarish chase that would be the talk of Odryf for a long time.

***

Isaac sprinted through the streets at breakneck speed.

He knew exactly where the Bessia estate was, so he knew the route well. The problem was that Odryf was one of the Empire’s largest cities, and even at a full sprint, it would take nearly half a day to reach the estate from the outskirts.

Especially with pursuers popping out of nowhere.

Swoosh, thunk! Several arrows whizzed by, barely missing Isaac. The moment the arrows embedded themselves into the walls and ground, crimson spears burst forth like an explosion. Isaac quickly enveloped himself in the color beyond, shielding his vital areas, but he was still left with several wounds.

Gritting his teeth, Isaac cursed under his breath.

‘These aren’t ordinary human hunters. They’re at least on par with the Royal Guard!’

The Kingdom of Wallachia was a society of unparalleled elitism. Bloodline was the determinant of rank and strength. The Royal Guard, in particular, was composed of individuals who, though not officially in line for succession, came from the three royal bloodlines.

In other words, while there were individual differences, each one was at least on par with the Hesabel he had first met.

Of course, the current Hesabel had grown immensely stronger since then, but even when they first met, she wasn’t weak. Isaac had no way of defeating her back then without using his tentacles. And now he was facing professional hunters in a pack, not a pampered noblewoman.

‘How the hell did they manage to hire these people? They don’t move for money.’

Boom! Boom! Blood droplets scattered in the air, and dozens of spears rained down on Isaac. Swearing under his breath, he swung Kaldwin, slicing through the spear blades. While they were sharp, they weren’t durable and broke easily. But the human hunters had accomplished their goal.

They had succeeded in halting Isaac before he could escape to the street.

Tap, tap, tap. The walls, windows, rooftops, and alleyways were quickly filled with dozens of glowing red eyes. All of them were beautiful men and women, their faces expressionless, emanating a strong scent of blood.

“You wouldn’t stop me unless you had something to say. What is it?”

Isaac figured these people wouldn’t have been hired by Shalok without a reason.

There had to be a purpose beyond money, and Isaac had a rough idea of what it might be.

Just as expected, a middle-aged woman with a sunken expression and a fur coat stepped out of a nearby alley.

Among the followers of the Red Chalice, those of high rank rarely looked visibly aged or tired.

Appearance was tied to status in Wallachian society. For her to appear like this meant she was under immense pressure and was of a high enough rank that it didn’t matter.

“Where is Hesabel?”

The moment she spoke, Isaac felt a chill run down his spine.

He recognized who she was.

“Duchess Hastel Gulmar?”

The reclusive duchess, who almost never left her castle, had crossed not just her own territory, but even hostile religious lands.

The reason was obvious.

The Gulmar family had likely lost all face due to Hesabel working as the ‘hand and foot’ of the Codex of Light’s Holy Grail Knight. They hadn’t even managed to retrieve the Rite of Division, and the angel that once blessed them had fallen silent.

In the end, the Duchess had been forced to step in personally.

“Hesabel, the Rite of Division. Just give me those two, and I’ll let you go.”

Hastel Gulmar spoke as if she didn’t have the energy for more, her tone filled with irritation. Isaac tilted his head.

“If you wait, I was planning to bring them to you anyway… How about going back and waiting?”

He meant it sincerely.

That was what Elil had tasked Isaac with, after all. But Hastel seemed to take it as mockery.

She waved her fingers dismissively, as if too tired to even get angry. The human hunters who were there to protect her launched themselves forward like arrows.

Isaac was about to fight back when someone else suddenly descended from the sky.

“Amidst the thousand blades, flowers scatter!”

Crack! Countless petals of steel suddenly bloomed in the alley. The human hunters had unknowingly thrown themselves into a storm of blades. The myriad blades, stained with blood, shimmered like jewels in the lamplight.

The human hunters hastily retreated, rapidly healing their wounds. It was nighttime, and they had only sustained cuts and stabs, so their recovery was swift. The real problem was the new presence that had appeared.

Isaac looked up at Cedric, who had dropped from the sky, with disbelief.

“So, the swordmaster from Elil Shalok hired was you?”

“Well, I was paid, so I guess that makes us enemies for now. This one’s life is mine. Do not bare your fangs, do not covet what is mine! You beautiful beasts!”

Isaac had noticed Cedric’s absence from the army Edelred had brought along.

Then again, Cedric had always been a wanderer. It would be difficult for him to suddenly join a structured army. Isaac had half-expected this when he heard rumors of a swordmaster. Meeting him at this troublesome time was almost welcome.

Hastel, however, glared at Cedric with a displeased expression.

“Sir Cedric, I overlooked you flirting with my subordinates because I heard you knew the Holy Grail Knight well. But didn’t you suggest to Shalok that he hire us? And now you want to be greedy like this? If you wanted to take him alone, you should’ve fought alone from the start.”

Isaac shot a glare at Cedric, but he only averted his eyes.

Isaac had wondered how Shalok managed to hire human hunters; it turned out his “confidence” was Cedric. And Cedric had recommended it.

Finally unable to bear Isaac’s gaze, Cedric muttered an excuse.

“The human hunters were already in the city. Honestly, I also wanted to meet Lady Hesabel. She’s mentioned some interesting things.”

“Please, just die quietly somewhere out of sight.”

“Please don’t tell Lady Hesabel.”

Isaac clenched his teeth and ground them in frustration.

He had briefly hoped that Cedric might have infiltrated the city to secretly turn the tide, but then he remembered that Cedric wasn’t the type to be that clever.

Isaac, Cedric, and the human hunters were locked in a tense standoff, with none daring to make the first move.

But that balance didn’t last long. Isaac heard a horrific wail echo from the night sky.

He didn’t need to look to know what it was.

Isaac decided on his course of action. He’d run away in the opposite direction of wherever that sound was coming from.

It didn’t matter if there were human hunters in that direction. Anything was better than that.

Screeee…

A massive scythe, freshly restored, sliced through the air above Odryf with a sharp whistle, emerging from a crack in the sky. The Reaper was back.