Paladin of the Dead God
Chapter 56

“Hendrake Knight Order?”

Isaac asked with a bemused expression. Owen, seemingly embarrassed, fiddled with the bear-shaped brooch pinning his cloak and explained.

“Yes. It was originally named the Black Bear Knight Order, but nobody recognized it, not even our lord. He calls it the Hendrake Knight Order, so we just go with that.”

‘Why is the Hendrake Knight Order here of all places?’

If it’s the Hendrake Knight Order, they are the knights of the Hendrake estate that Isaac and Reinhardt were planning to confront.

He had anticipated a high chance of conflict, yet here he was, having just saved that very knight order.

‘It’s too late to start a fight now.’

Owen Renly, the knight who had introduced himself, cautiously observed Isaac before speaking up.

“Excuse me, but aren’t you the Holy Grail Knight, Isaac?”

Isaac considered pretending ignorance for a moment, but concluded it was futile. The Holy Grail Knights were too distinctive and few to hide his identity.

“That’s correct.”

Isaac admitted straightforwardly, and a wave of excitement swept through the knights.

“As I thought! I knew it from the courage you showed by fearlessly leaping into danger to save those in distress, the honorable grace you afford even your enemies, the skill to swiftly end their breath, and above all…”

Isaac, listening to the lavish praise, looked at Owen when he suddenly stopped speaking. Owen seemed hesitant to continue.

“Above all, what? Why stop mid-sentence?”

“Well, it’s, um, a bit too worldly to mention…”

“Worldly?”

“People say it’s like beauty carved by an angel…”

That damned appearance.

He might have chosen a Nephilim for their aesthetic appeal, but receiving such compliments was still unfamiliar. He was just glad he hadn’t created a female character.

“It’s fine, you can praise me all you want.”

“Ah, I apologize if it was inappropriate… Eh? What?”

“More importantly, what brings the Hendrake Knight Order here?”

Owen seemed pleased that Isaac used their formal name.

He confidently relayed the order given by his lord, Kyle Hendrake.

“Yes. Our mission is to bring Holy Grail Knight Isaac to our domain. I believe it’s to celebrate your noble journey and offer whatever assistance we can!”

***

The command given to Kyle was simple: ‘Bring Isaac.’ However, the underlying complexity was significant.

The Hendrake domain was in a worse state than Reinhardt had indicated. The knightly wages were overdue.

The knights, believing a lord with such expansive lands wouldn’t default on payments, speculated that delayed wages might lead to the grant of small fiefs.

But Isaac saw it differently.

‘On the verge of bankruptcy.’

It seemed futile for Reinhardt to hurry; Kyle’s salvage seemed unlikely.

The best Reinhardt could do was to sell off the Hendrake estate at a somewhat reasonable price before the vassals inside started a revolt to liquidate its assets.

Nonetheless, Kyle sought out Isaac.

Isaac suspected the reason might align with his own predictions.

To fall with dignity.

To leave a foundation for a possible comeback.

‘But Reinhardt arrived first.’

Had the Hendrake Knight Order been faster, Isaac would have been on his way to the Hendrake estate with them. However, Isaac had already accepted an advance—albeit in the form of a horse—from Reinhardt.

Truthfully, it didn’t matter much to Isaac whom he followed.

Whomever he helped, Isaac could get what he wanted from them. Maybe Kyle Hendrake could offer more.

He was bound to fall anyway, so if Isaac were by his side, he might carve the biggest piece from the Hendrake domain.

‘Not that it’s what Kyle Hendrake would want.’

Nevertheless, Isaac was tempted by this new proposition but eventually dismissed it.

Breaking a prior agreement with Reinhardt and siding with a bankrupt noble wasn’t particularly honorable.

Besides, honor aside, Isaac was one of the hyenas aiming to take a bite out of the Hendrake domain during this opportunity.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

Yet, Isaac nonchalantly nodded.

There was no need to discard the option prematurely. There was no point in antagonizing the Hendrake Knight Order when the situation was still unclear.

Once he arrived at Reinhardt’s domain, the outcome would be decided.

Owen beamed with joy.

“It’s an honor to have such a noble Holy Grail Knight accompany us! We will gladly join you!”

Though Owen was clearly older than Isaac, his respect and politeness were evident, likely influenced more by the weight of the title “Holy Grail Knight” than Isaac’s personal achievements.

In this era, children grew up on tales of knightly heroes rather than superhero movies.

Despite their poor performance against the troll, the knights were still a knight order. As Isaac began to move, they formed a protective formation and started a formal march. Their skill in handling horses suggested they were competent at serving high-ranking individuals, if nothing else.

“Are you planning to move with them?”

Hesabel’s expression was one of dissatisfaction, almost contempt, as she looked at the knights.

“These individuals possess mediocre skills. It’s astonishing they claim to be knights with such abilities.”

Her gaze occasionally met with the knights, who were sneakily glancing at Hesabel beside Isaac, fascinated by her striking beauty.

Hesabel, true to the Red Chalice Club’s ethos of valuing beauty, could not hide her stunning appearance even under a hood.

Isaac was also noticeable, but naturally, the knights were more drawn to a woman. They couldn’t outright ask who she was, but their curiosity was understandable.

“Having more people in the group has its advantages. It’s easier to find food, safer, and there’s no need for night watch.”

“Do you truly believe that? It might be challenging during the day, but at night, even if those knights set a few guards, it would pose no problem for me.”

Isaac internally agreed.

In truth, they could forage for food using tentacles, and safety was a non-issue. Even without Hesabel, they could have Zihilrat, lurking somewhere in the woods, stand guard at night.

But there was no need to separate from the group.

Isaac was puzzled by Hesabel’s sensitive reaction.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Just disdain for those unworthy of our company…”

“Think of them as portable lunchboxes, then.”

“…Yes.”

Isaac couldn’t understand her dissatisfaction. The knights might lack in skill, but weren’t there benefits to traveling together?

For instance, encountering a road blocked by logs.

About half a day into their journey, Isaac stopped with an incredulous look, staring ahead. Turning to Owen, he noticed a similar look of confusion. Logs piled high obstructed the path.

“This wasn’t here this morning.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t be.”

The road, nestled between narrow valleys, was blocked meticulously with logs, making it difficult for those on horseback to bypass. There were no signs of a landslide, indicating it wasn’t a natural occurrence.

The culprits soon revealed themselves.

“Oooooooh!”

Four trolls stood among the trees, yelling at Isaac’s group. They brandished hefty tree trunks, seemingly having blocked the road to set a trap.

‘But if they’re going to make noise, shouldn’t they be attacking… What?’

“Those bastards…”

Just as Isaac doubted the trolls’ intelligence, one knight cursed under his breath and drew his sword. Isaac then began to question the knight’s intelligence.

What was he planning to do? They barely managed against one troll on flat ground, let alone climbing up a slope to confront them.

Fortunately, Owen intervened before the knight could ascend.

“It seems the trolls are behind this. Have trolls often appeared in this pass like this?”

“No, this is the first time something like this has happened…”

Owen’s embarrassed explanation highlighted the oddity of the situation. This was a traveled path, not the depths of a dense forest. Considering the high value of troll skin and blood, and how easily a priest could handle one, the presence of trolls here was peculiar.

Isaac projected his will to Zihilrat, who had been stealthily moving through the woods since the threat emerged. Zihilrat was in a position to immediately attack one of the trolls.

“Krrrgh!”

Soon, a troll vanished into the shadows of the forest, followed by a scream. The specifics of the troll’s fate were unseen from the slope.

Zihilrat could handle a couple of Wallachia’s human hunters in non-sanctified areas.

With the element of surprise, even a troll posed no challenge.

The knights were startled by the sudden troll scream, and as they registered the disturbance, the remaining trolls noticed something was amiss. Confused at first, they quickly spotted something in the dark depths of the forest.

“Oooooh!”

Soon, they tumbled down the slope in a panic.

“It’s an attack!”

The knights, belatedly interpreting this as the start of an ambush, hastily drew their swords.

Isaac swiftly plunged his sword into the neck of one of the trolls that hadn’t yet risen, the Sword of Judgment searing through, burning its flesh.

He could have easily dealt with the rest, but Isaac wasn’t particularly inclined to do so.

“Should we see what the Black Bear Knight Order can do, Owen?”

“Ah, yes! Of course!”

Leaving the cleanup to others was appealing, but Isaac was more curious about the trolls’ panic.

Led by Owen, the knights courageously engaged the two remaining trolls.

Given their struggle with just one troll earlier, it seemed a daunting task. However, the Hendrake Knight Order fought surprisingly well. The ground was even here, without slopes or logs for the trolls to use as weapons. Moreover, the trolls appeared more interested in fleeing than fighting.

Though unable to cauterize wounds like Isaac, the knights managed to inflict damage steadily.

‘Still, their skills leave much to be desired…’

Their level of competence might surpass ordinary mercenaries or guards, but it was pitiful compared to the Holy Knight orders. Even several Hendrake Knight Orders combined might struggle against a single squadron from the Rottenhammer Holy Knight Order.

Notably, no one from the Hendrake Knight Order seemed capable of high-level swordsmanship. Whether this was intentional or reflective of the general standard of regional knight orders was unclear.

‘Owen seems to be the best among them. Though he appears somewhat cautious…’

Owen, albeit somewhat defensively, landed effective strikes when he swung his sword. His prowess suggested he might be the only one close to mastering advanced swordsmanship.

Isaac shrugged at Hesabel as if to say, “See, without them, you’d be dealing with those trolls.”

Hesabel, however, seemed unimpressed.

“The Red Chalice Club doesn’t necessarily harm trolls. They can be tamed, after all.”

“Tamed?”

“Yes. The Red Chalice Club treasures trolls as valuable creatures.”

“Because of their blood, right?”

Isaac understood what Hesabel was implying. Though he hadn’t paid much attention during his playthrough, the Red Chalice Club considered trolls useful livestock and guardians.

They might not understand human speech, but they weren’t so dim-witted as to be untrainable. Their blood was highly valuable, and their regenerative capabilities were extraordinary. It was natural for the Red Chalice Club, which revered life force and blood, to value them.

‘Wait… the Red Chalice Club.’

Something subtle nagged at Isaac.

The Red Chalice Club tames and values trolls. And here were an unusual number of trolls appearing.

There had to be a mastermind behind this.

‘It doesn’t seem to be Hesabel… More like she’s attracted some unwanted attention.’

A holy knight or priest turning heretic would attract all sorts of curses and pursuers. It’s unlikely that a ducal heiress would just be allowed to defect without consequence.

Isaac began to speculate about who might be behind this.