Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 25:

Thump.

Isaac felt a pulse in his eyes. Noticing something flickering before him, he almost rubbed his eyes unconsciously, but soon realized that would draw attention. Tiny, slender tentacles brushed past his vision.

He managed not to react. To anyone else, it might have looked like his eyes were merely watering. But Isaac knew what was happening.

Using the power of the Nameless Chaos meant drawing that entity out into the world. Tentacles sprouted from beneath his eyelids, infusing power into his pupils.

A familiar status window appeared.

[Isolde Brant (A+) / Weakened]

[Profession: Inquisitor (B)]

[Abilities: Doctrine of the Moth, Advanced Interrogation, Cauldron Beast]

[“How do I convince the Abbot? Now that they have started acting, we must hurry…”]

This was information about Isolde Brant.

The Eyes of Chaos allowed him to read one’s state and psyche. The status window indeed showed such information, including Isolde’s thoughts at the bottom.

‘Can I only read superficial thoughts? This is something I could guess without any abilities…’

Isaac focused harder on Isolde. He felt the tentacles near his eyes wriggle again and quickly averted his gaze, wary of revealing anything in front of an inquisitor.

Luckily, the Abbot’s office was dimly lit, and no one saw him clearly. Before turning away, Isaac caught a deeper thought from Isolde.

[“Should I lie? But I haven’t found any evidence or reason yet…”]

“Haven’t found any evidence or reason?”

Isaac blurted out. Isolde turned to him sharply.

Isaac touched his lips in disbelief. Isolde hadn’t been able to present solid grounds because she lacked evidence or reason for the Immortal Order’s activities here.

“Lacking evidence? Isn’t it clear that the dead plague god targeted this monastery?”

Inquisitors are sensitive to evidence, as their job might involve endangering lives or even committing mass murders. Yet, her acting without solid grounds was against basic ethical conduct.

“You need our help because you lack evidence to move the Paladins?”

Evhar sighed, finally grasping the situation.

“An inquisitor has the authority to mobilize the Paladin Order, but only with solid evidence. Seeking swords from a monastery implies lack of evidence.”

Isolde biting her lips, glared resentfully at Isaac. While grateful for being saved, she was frustrated by the turn of events.

Isaac sympathized with her.

Indeed, her suspicion of the Immortal Order’s involvement was correct.

‘I saw the Immortal Order’s minions in the monastery’s basement myself.’

The undead priest serving Zihilrat. He was an agent of the Immortal Order.

But Isaac couldn’t discuss him without revealing where he found him, and that place was now enveloped by the pulsating heart of the Nameless Chaos. In other words, he couldn’t provide the evidence Isolde needed.

“I found intelligence and traces of the Immortal Order’s activities.”

Isolde desperately tried to make her case.

“Why they’re operating deep in White Empire territory, I don’t know, but it’s clear…”

“I believe you.”

“Even if you don’t believe me, it’s clear… What?”

“I believe it. The attack on the monastery was indeed the work of the Immortal Order, attempting to resurrect an ancient god.”

Evhar and Gebel turned to Isaac, with Evhar asking in amazement.

“Why do you think so, Isaac?”

“Because they can.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those who don’t age or die seem to devote their lives to tormenting the Codex of Light. And that’s true for us as well. Even if border soldiers don’t always act strategically, they still cause trouble for the Black Empire, right?”

Isaac glanced at Gebel.

As a former Paladin, Gebel would know. Soldiers in conflict zones often provoke the Black Empire without direct orders. Gebel remained silent, seemingly acknowledging the point.

“But to resurrect an ancient god?”

“If you meant what you said, you wouldn’t really believe an ancient god could be resurrected. Weak as they are, they’d probably just bother a monastery. Even if they did resurrect one, it’d be quickly subdued.”

Evhar shook his head in disbelief. The idea that ancient god resurrection and the clash between two major faiths were just the antics of lower ranks seemed far-fetched, and Isaac didn’t fully believe it either.

But having read Isolde’s inner thoughts, Isaac concluded it was pointless to press her for information she didn’t have.

“What matters is they are indeed up to something, and we fell for it.”

Isaac deftly steered the conversation towards future actions. The important thing was the Immortal Order’s involvement, not the evidence or reason.

Isolde, catching Isaac’s gaze, looked startled.

“Then we must retaliate.”

More information about them could be obtained once they found more of their members.

As soon as the meeting ended, Isaac, Gebel, and Isolde quickly packed their bags and headed out of the monastery. Since there was only one donkey in the monastery, they had to walk. However, Eberhar generously blessed the three and provided them with ample food.

Isaac was somewhat surprised that the abbot and Gebel had decided to help him despite his weak reasoning.

It might have been due to the favor they had for Isaac, but Evhar was someone who tried to see through the inquisitor’s true intentions. However, he was easily convinced by Isaac’s logic. It seemed the only explanation was the activation of the charm of the Nephilim.

“I must be too charming.”

“Thank you, Mr. Isaac.”

At that moment, Isolde, who was walking ahead, matched her pace with Isaac and started a conversation.

“Actually, we started suspecting the Immortal Order’s activities in this area about six months ago. But we couldn’t find any substantial evidence. The realization that they have infiltrated this monastery is quite recent, not to mention this decisive testimony…”

“It’s alright. It’s our monastery’s affair, so we naturally have to help.”

It wasn’t just because of Isolde. Isaac was looking for a reason to leave the monastery while earning some credit. Since Isolde seemed favorable towards him, if this matter ends well, she could become a valuable connection.

“Getting friendly with an inspector is always advantageous, regardless of the era.”

Isolde seemed grateful and smiled. Isaac thought that for an inquisitor, she seemed quite innocent and uncorrupted, or perhaps she was a psychopath who wouldn’t bat an eye even if she massacred a whole village.

If she was competent as an inquisitor, the latter was more likely.

“If this matter resolves well, I’ll recommend you to the order, Mr. Isaac. You’re a paladin trainee, right? I know a paladin who…”

“Inquisitor.”

Gebel interrupted from behind in a stern voice.

“Excuse me, but do we know where we are heading? If it’s far, it might be better to borrow horses from the village, but it seems we are moving away from it.”

Isolde was leading them to a location where she had found traces of the Immortal Order’s involvement near the monastery. Realizing she hadn’t explained their destination, she quickly said,

“Ah, we are heading to a valley near the monastery. The locals seem to call it Ariet Valley.”

Both Isaac and Gebel knew the place well, as they had been in the area longer than Isolde. It was a rugged area, not surprising to hide something.

Isolde told Gebel what she had found and the evidence she had gathered there. Gebel seemed indifferent, but he appeared content that Isolde had shifted her attention from Isaac.

“Fortunate.”

Isaac suddenly touched his right eye, which had activated the ‘Eye of Chaos.’

The sensation of wriggling tentacles had disappeared, but when he checked before leaving, his eye had bloodshot traces for a while, and his pupil had a faint purple hue. Even a deeper look changed the eye color.

“This power is not easy to use recklessly.”

It’s a miraculous ability, but its reckless use was still a risk. A slight glance into shallow thoughts might go unnoticed, but delving into deep psychology would leave unmistakable traces.

What if someone saw the tentacles wriggling in his eyes?

“I would have no choice but to kill them.”

He was fortunate to have discovered these side effects early.

***

“Here we are.”

Isolde stepped into the valley with a tense expression. The valley, filled with irregularly placed sharp rocks, only showed traces of a dry creek, likely due to the dry winter season.

Isaac had only seen this place while passing by, but stepping into it was a new experience. Normally, it would be hard to tread due to its ruggedness, but the dried-up creek made the ground flat.

“You found traces of the Immortal Order here?”

“Exactly. Testimonies of sighting them and finding traces of undead. Then we found ominous signs leading to the monastery, infected with the plague…”

As she spoke, Isolde kicked a large stone at the entrance of the valley.

Isaac wondered about the significance of the stone, but Isolde looked serious.

“What is that?”

Gebel asked first, prompting Isolde to widen her eyes in surprise.

“What? It’s obviously a trace of idolatry. It’s a severed head of a statue.”

Isaac took another look at the stone. It did seem so upon hearing it. The erosion was severe, but the unnaturally cut surface and what might have been eyes, nose, and mouth were noticeable. On a second look, it also resembled a rat.

“There are more such traces deeper in the valley. It seems they fell from the high mountains.”

“Hmm…”

Isaac thought if there were just one or two, it could be Isolde’s misunderstanding, but more meant something else.

At least it was worth investigating.

So far, it was in the realm of archaeology, not evidence of heresy. But with the appearance of plague-infected beasts and the monastery being attacked, it was clear evidence of aggression.

“So, I’m convinced that investigating this valley will reveal the hidden perpetrators. I’ve heard that in the past, there was an entrance to a pagan temple leading up from inside the valley.”

Isolde seemed confident in her deduction. Gebel was still skeptical but eager to complete the investigation, probably to get rid of Isolde quickly. On the other hand, Isaac was troubled after hearing the explanation.

“If this leads to the sanctuary, what then?”

The sanctuary where Zihilrat was hiding was deep below the monastery, possibly connected to the valley. Isolde’s unwanted competence might lead to its discovery. Realizing this, Isaac decided to act on his plan sooner.

“I was going to scatter evidence when they got tired, but no choice now.”

Inside Isaac’s bag was evidence that would satisfy Isolde.

But he couldn’t scatter it right away. If evidence appeared in places Isolde had already investigated, it would be suspicious. And before that, Isaac needed to create a plausible situation to deceive her.

“Move.”

Isaac’s will transmitted somewhere.

Soon, something deep in the valley started to wriggle slowly.