Chapter 225:

Chapter 225:

Dietrich flinched and looked at him.

“The Dawn Army that the Church is pushing forward on their own, anchoring in Syracusa in the western part of the Empire where madness is thickening, right in the midst of an ongoing heresy hunt. You showed me quite the spectacle. From the start, we didn’t need supplies, did we? You said it was an urgent matter, but there’s no reason to anchor so close to the capital.”

“......”

Dietrich didn’t respond.

But it was clear just from how quickly the ship had set sail as soon as Isaac boarded.

“Perhaps you deliberately showed me the Church’s madness. It would be even better if a conflict arose between me and the Order. That way, I’d be forced to rely even more on His Majesty the Emperor.”

In the end, this too was part of the tedious power struggle between the Emperor and the Church.

Isaac had long since seen through Dietrich’s intentions but decided to play along.

Because Isaac also couldn’t stand those bastards in the church.

Dietrich gave a bitter smile.

“......You’re an unnecessarily clever son-in-law. And a mad one at that. So, was beheading the priest a signal that you’re cutting ties with the Church?”

“Regrettably, the Church won’t expel me over such an incident. The will of the Church doesn’t matter. The angels won’t have any desire to do so.”

In the end, earthly authority was insignificant compared to heavenly authority.

Isaac had no intention of denying the authority of the gods and clinging to the Emperor, a mere human, in a world ruled by gods. As always, he intended to benefit as much as possible, like a bat.

The incident of beheading the priest would become his message to the Church.

I have no intention of being a pawn in your trivial games. I have the angels’ backing. The angels won’t cast me out over a few priests’ necks, so don’t become the second neck to be severed.

‘Though it seems excessive, if the Church is descending into fanaticism, I need to clearly show my stance.’

If the Church was wise enough, they would understand. Or the angels would inform them.

Isaac took care of the girl who almost ended up on the pyre due to the beheaded priest. He intended to have Hesabel find a priest in the capital to perform the annulment ritual directly.

Dietrich seemed to ponder how to explain this situation to the Emperor and how to justify it to the Order, continuously tapping on the railing.

Isaac decided to ease his father-in-law’s worries a little.

“Seeing as you’ve deliberately shown me all this, His Majesty must really be at odds with the Pope.”

Dietrich frowned and then replied.

“At odds? You must be unaware, being from abroad. I’m worried there might be a civil war before the true Dawn Army even begins.”

“Civil war? Between the Emperor and the Church?”

How could that be? Although the Emperor held practical power, his authority was held by the Church.

Even if the Emperor mustered his forces and stormed the Vatican, the Pope’s single ‘You’re excommunicated!’ would turn the Emperor into a barbarian. From the Pope’s perspective, turning an Emperor with such unprecedented power into an enemy would be akin to self-harm.

“Of course, it’s a metaphor. The Licht Treaty ensures that a civil war cannot occur. His Majesty is that furious. His Majesty is maddened by the fact that the troops he should rightfully recruit are turning into independent warlords.”

“But the Church would argue that the faithful are voluntarily forming forces. If the paladin orders and priests join this ‘voluntary Dawn Army’, His Majesty’s forces would effectively be halved.”

In a world where gods existed, the Church’s authority was immense. Without priests or paladin orders, the Emperor would be doomed to fail in a war against the Immortal Order before it even began.

The Empire was currently engaged in a struggle between the Pope and the Emperor over the command of the Dawn Army.

The root cause of this situation lay in the Emperor’s authority being comparable to that of the Pope. Previously, there had been no Holy Emperor with such strong authority. Entrusting it to the Pope was questionable given the Church’s repeated failures with the Dawn Army.

“Do you remember the heinous attempted assassination in Rougeberg?”

“Yes.”

“The Inquisition concluded it was a terror attack by the Black Empire. But there’s persistent talk that the Codex of Light Church secretly cooperated or at least turned a blind eye.”

Isaac nodded, already aware of the matter.

The distorted ankh.

From Dietrich’s conjecture, it seemed the Emperor hadn’t yet disclosed the ankh. It was a sensitive topic that could cause division and serve as the Order’s weakness.

‘Not in a position to mock the Kingdom of Elil.’

Moreover, Isaac could see something special that others could not.

‘Even angels wouldn’t dare to spread their wings here.’

This ancient city, infused with immense divinity from its history and spilled blood, had become a colossal holy artifact even angels couldn’t easily bypass. Isaac felt drenched in the divine power emanating from it.

‘It was wise to leave Nel behind.’

Isaac had decided to leave Nel outside. Bringing a man-eating monster before the Emperor might upset the guards, and the more people involved, the higher the chance of an incident. Until he received permission from the Emperor, he told Hesabel to look after her.

‘Me? Really?’

‘At least someone who can escape should she try to eat them.’

Hesabel was displeased, but their similar tastes might lead them to get along better than expected.

At that moment, a large bell rang out. Cheers erupted from all sides. Countless petals rained down from both sides of the canal as they sailed up the river.

Though he expected some welcome, Isaac was caught off guard by the sheer number of people.

Citizens, soldiers, and knights of the capital gathered, waving at the ship Isaac was on.

“Holy Grail Knight! Holy Grail Knight!”

“Elil’s grand warrior, the resurrected saint!”

Dietrich, watching the scene, patted Isaac on the shoulder.

“Give them a wave.”

Isaac reflexively raised his hand. The cheers grew louder.

Women who saw Isaac’s face screamed in delight. Suspicious, Isaac whispered to Dietrich.

“You mobilized the citizens, didn’t you? To imprint me as your man against the Order?”

“I can’t say no one was mobilized. We couldn’t just casually invite the great warrior of Elil, who revived the banner of reconciliation with the Kingdom of Elil and the Dawn Army alliance. But honestly, the mobilized crowd is gathering in front of the palace.”

“Then these are.......”

“People who came to see the famous Holy Grail Knight.”

People were pushing so hard that some fell into the canal. Isaac worried about accidents, but the enthusiasm of the welcome didn’t wane.

“Isaac! Isaac! Isaac!”

(To read advance chapters, fastest update and to support the translator please read at Fenrir Translations.)

The cheers calling his name were burdensome, but he decided to enjoy it. The hot divine power charging up with each call of his name was satisfying.

As he raised his hand, the cheers grew louder. The omnipotence of knowing all these people supported, respected, and expected of him.

Suddenly, Isaac felt a chill. He understood why some ambitious individuals aspired to become gods.

[The Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

Even the Nameless Chaos seemed content for now.

Isaac decided to let the long-starved god of recognition enjoy the opportunity to indulge a bit more.

Before long, the ship docked.

Fortunately, the dock led directly to the imperial palace, so there was no need to push through the massive crowd. Isaac’s name continued to be called even as he climbed the stairs.

For some reason, Isaac’s heart pounded as he climbed the stairs. It wasn’t just the large crowd or the imminent meeting with high officials. He felt a certain premonition. And when he finally reached the top of the stairs, Isaac realized his premonition was correct.

Isaac forgot all the cheers. Even if millions called out, he would turn his head for this one voice.

“My angel.”

Isolde approached with a bouquet and embraced Isaac.

–TL Notes–

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to read more than 20 advance chapters or support me, you can do it at /Akaza156