Chapter 75:

Chapter 75:

The directive to fend off monsters drawn by the curse essentially implied battling the curse itself until it dissipated, as monsters would continue to assail as long as the curse remained.

‘Just as I expected.’

Isaac had anticipated such orders since the curse on the domain was first mentioned. Without dispelling the curse, the achievement of vanquishing the celestial could not be fully recognized.

Failing to eradicate the curse would delay Isaac’s saint designation indefinitely, and his feat would not be fully acknowledged.

Isaac aimed to have his achievement fully recognized while avoiding the designation of a saint.

“I will faithfully execute the commands of the Codex of Light.”

Isaac knelt on one knee, drawing his sword, eliciting discomfort from Delia and satisfaction from Bishop Juan.

However, Isaac wasn’t one to kneel without cause.

“However, Bishop Juan. The sword suffered some damage while I was combating the prophet of the red flesh.”

“Ah!”

Isolde let out a soft gasp.

The sword of judgment was lent to him by her, and seeing it rusted and damaged was naturally shocking.

Bishop Juan glanced at Isolde before examining the sword.

“This is an Inquisitor’s sword.”

The sword’s engraving made it easy to identify its original owner.

“Were you acquainted with Inquisitor Isolde?”

“Yes, yes.”

Isolde, visibly embarrassed, lowered her head. Juan looked at her intently before continuing.

“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

“I was concerned that involving my personal feelings in the inquisition would lead to suspicions...”

It was a valid concern.

If they were close enough to lend swords, personal feelings were bound to interfere with the inquisition. Technically, she shouldn’t have been involved in the first place.

However, Juan silently examined the sword, then ran his wrinkled fingers along the blade.

Bright light emanated from his fingertips, heating the sword until it glowed red. The rust fell away, and a new edge formed on the blade.

Isolde’s name also vanished from the sword.

“Your judgment was accurate, Inquisitor Isolde. Your sword played a role in slaying the wicked celestial, which is cause for celebration. Henceforth, this sword shall have a new owner.”

“...Yes.”

Isolde seemed relieved to have escaped with just a mild reprimand, clearly not fitting the typical Inquisitor mold.

Juan handed the newly forged sword to Isaac.

“This should be more useful than the sword of judgment.”

Isaac accepted the sword. It pulsed with heat like a living breath, and next to his engraved name, mysterious characters glowed with white light.

“The Luadin Key?”

Isaac muttered in surprise upon reading the characters, causing Juan’s eyebrows to twitch.

“You can read the ancient language?”

“Ah, a bit...”

Isaac wondered if he had made a mistake, but Juan seemed to take a liking to him, perhaps tired of dealing with less intelligent knights. Regardless, Isaac couldn’t help but be astonished by the weapon he had inadvertently received.

[The Luadin Key (S)]

[The sword of judgment has shed its former guise to reveal its true form. A key that unveils and liberates what is hidden and trapped, forged in celestial heat, beyond the craft of mortal smiths. Continuously grants warmth and vitality to its wielder. Capable of unlocking intermediate seals.]

The Luadin Key was referred to as the true form of the sword of judgment. Although named a “key,” it naturally maintained the form of a sword. The name implied a purpose of liberating what is hidden or confined, whether a treasure chest shrouded in darkness or entrails trapped beneath the skin.

“It seems you also hold a great interest in His Majesty’s authority?”

“How could I take lightly His Majesty, who appears as an avatar of the Codex of Light?”

Presenting the emperor as an avatar of the Codex of Light was an exalting expression. Just as a hammer being used by a person doesn’t make the hammer a person’s avatar, the Holy Scripture is merely a text, not divine enough to be considered an avatar of God.

Despite this, those who supported the emperor hailed him as an avatar of the Codex of Light. However, such statements were not typical for a Grail Knight to make.

Delia asked with a playful smile, “Is it alright for a Grail Knight to speak such words?”

“Compared to His Majesty’s accomplishments, my humble journey is hardly worth mentioning.”

“Humble? Vanquishing an angel is a feat that will be etched in history, a deed even the gods will remember.”

“I am merely content if my journey contributes to the empire’s wellbeing.”

From their brief exchange, Delia could gauge Isaac’s inner thoughts.

No, it was impossible for her not to catch on, given how blatantly Isaac was hinting.

“It seems the Grail Knight has greater ambitions than one might expect.”

Instead of responding directly, Isaac just smiled.

Having sufficiently hinted, it was now Delia’s turn to inflate her imagination with possibilities. Isaac had not provided a clear answer, but it was enough for Delia to conceive a new possibility.

‘What if I could pull Isaac to the emperor’s side?’

With the emperor already balancing the scales, the emergence of a new hero on the emperor’s side could solidify their power.

Saint designation wouldn’t be an issue then. If a potential adversary to the emperor could be brought under his command, it would be a significant coup.

“I’m not one for beating around the bush. What is it that you want?”

“Want? As I said, I am content if I can aid in the empire’s wellbeing.”

Just as Delia was about to press further, Isaac continued.

“Perhaps, Duchess Lyon, you could lend your strength to my journey.”

Isaac couldn’t outright state his demands. It was crucial for Delia to come to her own conclusions and voluntarily offer something in return.

Isaac needed to maintain a balance between the church and the emperor’s faction, extracting benefits from both without tilting too far in either direction.

Ultimately, it was the other party that had to offer something of value.

Just as Delia was about to inquire further, a shout came from somewhere.

“Trolls!”

Following Isaac’s direction, Hendrake had moved the trolls.

With the conversation abruptly interrupted at the right moment, Isaac dashed towards the direction of the shout.

Delia watched his back, biting her lip before quickly moving to follow.

***

“Drive them that way!”

“Damn it, why are they so fast?!”

When Isaac arrived, the scene was filled with injured soldiers and broken trees. A severed troll arm was visible, but no bodies.

Arriving a bit later, Isaac asked, “Where did the troll go?”

“It went into that valley. The holy knights have followed.”

It was a dark valley, thick with trees. But the traces left by the pursuing holy knights showed no hesitation. Paladins, capable of wielding heat, were natural predators of trolls.

Isaac was about to enter the valley when he noticed something imprinted on the ground and bent down to examine it.

There was something Isaac hadn’t accounted for.

‘Horse hooves?’

In a place where the dense trees and rugged terrain should have made it impossible for horses to enter, there were clearly horse hoof prints.GEtt the latest novels at novelhall.com