Chapter 289:

Chapter 289:

Isaac hadn’t intended for Atlan’s mother to die.

From the start, Isaac didn’t care what happened to Orthea, and he hadn’t factored it into his calculations.

But he never imagined he would end up with achievements such as driving Sahulan Khan to flee, sparing Atlan’s life, and instilling a subtle sense of guilt in Tuhalin.

However, everything else had gone according to Isaac’s plan.

“To some extent.”

“...You deliberately lured our army deep into the estate?”

“Essentially, it was a repeat of what happened in Seor. The only difference was that this time, it was on a much larger scale.”

Of course, the details were significantly different.

In Seor, he had removed the shamans, which drastically lowered the orcs’ morale. In the Isaacrea estate, he had lured the enemy so deep that it would be difficult for them to retreat, and then revealed the allied forces.

Seizing the opportunity, Isaac began explaining to Edelred as well.

“The World’s Forge had already arrived here long ago. The Isaacrea estate was originally famous for its mines, and for dwarves, mines are like home. They stayed there, waiting for you to pass overhead.”

As he spoke, Isaac pointed eastward.

“Even if Manseungja is listening, my promise to bring the desired knowledge was not a lie. It’s just that I couldn’t obtain it myself. You must’ve heard of the chaos that erupted in Lichtheim. It happened during that process. But since I failed anyway, I thought I might as well use it to provoke you.”

“...You’re insane.”

“It’s not every day you get a chance to provoke an angel. Naturally, they took the bait right away. I didn’t expect Khan to show up, so the breach happened faster than anticipated... I had to spout nonsense while pretending to negotiate in front of you all.”

Had the Elil Knight Order arrived just half a day later, the village would have burned, and the monastery would have collapsed. Although the village had already suffered considerable damage due to the battle, far worse outcomes could have occurred.

Atlan, after a long silence, finally spoke.

“Why did you go to such lengths?”

“Why? Because this was the way to win.”

“You said the World’s Forge arrived early. Without even a fight, if the World’s Forge Order had simply barricaded themselves in the mountains, we would’ve taken a long detour south or abandoned the Isaacrea estate altogether. Even if Manseungja had been furious, she wouldn’t have wasted her followers on meaningless revenge.”

Isaac nodded in agreement with Atlan.

Atlan was correct. Instead of risking and gambling by dragging in the Olkan Code and endangering the residents, it would have been far more advantageous for everyone to simply barricade themselves in the mountains.

But Isaac had deliberately drawn in the orcs, forcing significant losses.

“Did you want to become a war hero?”

Atlan’s sarcastic tone made Isaac chuckle. A few years ago, he might have indeed sought such a thing. Back then, he had been desperate to gain fame and social standing. But not anymore. Isaac now had more than enough fame.

Isaac’s answer was simple.

“So that your forces heading south would be reduced, even if just a little.”

“...What did you say?”

“You anticipated that occupying this place wouldn’t be easy, and Manseungja was waiting here. Even Atlan, an unparalleled hero, was watching over the situation. I’m sure many of your forces were preparing for battle here.”

“...”

“If we repelled you without even fighting, wouldn’t you have gone straight south? Then, the people in the south would have to face your crazy orc raiders. I couldn’t let that happen.”

So Isaac had decided to fight in their place.

While he couldn’t physically run over and assist, he could draw in as many enemies as possible and force them to suffer losses here.

It would have been ideal if he could have killed Khan as well, but the bastard managed to escape. However, the nearly 200,000 casualties and the immense loss of resources were irreparable damage. And most importantly, the loss of the archangels’ trust would make the Great Raid itself far more difficult.

Atlan remained silent for a while, processing Isaac’s explanation, before speaking again.

“You’re a Holy Grail Knight.”

From her very first words, Isaac privately mused that even as a lofty archangel, Manseungja seemed petty enough to harbor resentment.

“Oh, really? My real name is Isaac. Is that what you wanted to know?” Isaac responded, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Manseungja remained silent for a moment before replying, her tone tinged with displeasure.

[That is not your name either. Holy Grail Knight, you must find your true name. If you do not, you will lose.]

“I’d appreciate it if you could provide a bit more context.”

Isaac found the often disconnected and contextless speech of the angels annoying. Did she mean that he was losing now? From Isaac’s perspective, losing at this point would be more challenging, regardless of how many forces Olkan’s Code sent his way.

But Manseungja didn’t seem inclined to elaborate further.

[The victory you’ve gained from us is meaningless. In the end, everyone loses.]

She murmured as if lamenting.

[Knowledge is not something to be hoarded alone. It is something that everyone must know. You must find the name of the Nameless Chaos. If not, we will all be defeated...]

Manseungja trailed off, falling silent. The grasshopper, as if its business was concluded, quickly leapt away into the grass. Isaac briefly wondered if the shock of defeat had caused the archangel to lose her mind, but upon reflection, he confirmed that none of her words had been explicitly hostile.

She just sounded like a senile prophet, muttering incomprehensibly.

‘Isaac isn’t my real name?’

If neither Isaac nor Izek is his real name, then what could it be?

The only other possibility was the name of the body he had first possessed. When he initially inhabited this body, the name Isaac had been attached to it, but whether that was his true name was uncertain.

[Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

However, he didn’t have the luxury to dwell on this enigmatic prophecy.

At the moment, the Isaacrea estate was swarming with an enormous number of forces, and there was a mountain of work to be done.

***

As for Atlan’s fate, it was decided that he would be treated and then released.

Tuhalin silently agreed with the decision, and the Elil knights had no objections to Edelred’s suggestion. In fact, it was Atlan who seemed most reluctant about returning to Olkan’s Code, which was now in a position opposite to his own.

However, it seemed Atlan was contemplating Manseungja’s words more deeply than Isaac had.

“Isaac, I plan to seek the answer to Manseungja’s question, regardless of the Great Raid.”

“Hmm, the Black Empire’s territory has yet to be thoroughly searched by the Codex of Light Order, so it might indeed be easier to find clues about Nameless Chaos there.”

“Yes, if we can find the answer without raiding Lichtheim, it would also give us a reason to halt the Great Raid. The loot we’ve already gathered should be enough to get us through the winter.”

Isaac had somewhat dismissed the Olkan Code, but they had already plundered numerous cities and small countries on their way to the Isaacrea estate. To obtain more, they would need to push beyond the Gerthonia Empire, but by now, everyone must have realized that such a feat wouldn’t be easy.

“And if we find the answer before you, we might be the ones who ‘win.’ When that happens, the roles of victor and vanquished will be reversed. The Codex of Light is fortunate. If not for you, we would have already burned Lichtheim to the ground.”

Atlan spoke confidently, but Isaac could only look at him with disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how Atlan could be so confident about finding a name before him.

“Does the Gerthonia Empire seem so trivial to you? Does Emperor Waltzemer look like a pushover? That man is a warrior on par with Sahulan Khan. If he hadn’t been excommunicated and if he hadn’t been so greedy, the imperial army might already be decorating orc heads with spears.”

Isaac’s words were partly sincere.

It was a pity that the emperor had been more wary of internal threats than those from the east. In the end, it was that arrogance that had brought the emperor down.

“Oh, right. Speaking of that, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

Atlan asked, his expression serious.

“Is it true that the emperor was excommunicated?”

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