Chapter 293:

Chapter 293:

‘Becoming a god, huh.’

Isaac knew that Kalsen’s plan had already failed, so there was no reason for him to follow in those footsteps. However, the key difference between Kalsen and Isaac was that Isaac was already favored by the Nameless Chaos.

Of course, when it comes to tampering with someone else’s corpse, the permission of the deceased is rarely considered important. This was clearly the case with the maggots writhing in the Nameless Chaos’s corpse.

But it’s a different story when one uses the power of the Nameless Chaos.

In some sense, Isaac had effectively inherited all the legacy left behind by the Nameless Chaos.

The idea that a paladin, working as an intern for a rival company, is actually the full-fledged proxy, heir, new chairman, and undercover boss of the Nameless Chaos Corporation was rather fitting.

Even if he didn’t plan to create a new god, the conditions were certainly sufficient to resurrect the Nameless Chaos.

“Let me be perfectly clear. I won’t do it. I’m not going to do it. I won’t.”

Isaac’s firm tone made Tuhalin quietly observe him.

“As I said, I believe the Codex of Light is meant to rule the world. I may not be pleased with the current state of things and intend to make some changes, but that’s all. If it ever looks like tentacled monsters might start swarming around, well... I’d rather move far away.”

Even saying something like ‘I’d rather kill myself’ was a bit much, as he valued his life too much for that.

Back when he lived a monastic life with nothing, it might have been a different story, but now he had many people following him.

Isaac wasn’t sure if Tuhalin would accept his reasoning, but fortunately, it seemed Tuhalin had a grasp of Isaac’s inner thoughts.

“You yourself said it, didn’t you? That gods are swayed by their followers. They’re not omnipotent beings. Why would I want to become one of them? I’d rather be an emperor.”

“A fair point.”

Tuhalin gave a somber smile.

“But no one becomes a god simply because they want to rule others and wield absolute power. Everyone who has made that choice did so because they had no other option.”

Isaac let out a long sigh. He didn’t know how else to persuade him.

“My settling in this land was purely coincidental. Lord Hendrake invited me in the first place. You can ask Kyle Hendrake if you don’t believe me.”

Of course, that was a lie. Isaac knew from the start that the Hendrakee Estate was valuable land.

Though he hadn’t realized just how valuable it would turn out to be.

Its value was rising every day, and while he felt like he had made the right choice in settling here, it also felt like he was standing on a precarious manhole cover floating in midair.

“I believe in your character. But I find it hard to believe that you won’t become a god.”

‘Isn’t it the opposite?’

Even Isaac himself felt that his character was somewhat questionable, yet he had no desire to become a god.

After all, he had already struggled with the discomfort of being offered the status of an Archangel and had failed to refuse it; the idea of becoming a god was even more daunting.

“If those who believe in you were unjustly slaughtered and oppressed by the Codex of Light, and the only way to protect them was by becoming a god, could you say with certainty that you wouldn’t choose that path?”

“That’s...”

Isaac was at a loss for words.

Elil had become a god for that very reason.

To win the war against the Codex of Light.

Although he ultimately failed, if protecting people was the only option, Isaac wouldn’t have many choices either.

And given that he might one day have to confront the Lighthouse Keeper, Tuhalin’s words felt more like a prophecy with a high chance of coming true.

As Isaac remained silent, the hissing sound from the forge grew louder.

Tuhalin stared at the forge for a moment, then nodded. He stood up, signaling the end of their conversation. Isaac’s face twisted in frustration, thinking the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Tuhalin extended his hand to Isaac as if bidding farewell.

“You’ve given a good answer, Isaac. I look forward to working with you.”

“Pardon?”

“The World’s Forge will stand with Issacrea.”

***

“Do you still hold the same thoughts, Thunder Artisan?”

After Isaac had left, Tuhalin stared into the embers that remained in the forge and murmured to himself.

It had been easy to lure Cedric out of the room Edelred had arranged for him. All it took was for Hesabel to show herself outside his window, pacing the alley a few times.

The Swordmaster, who was undoubtedly told to stay hidden, had been caught so easily.

“Ah, uh. It’s good to see you, Holy Grail Knight. It’s not what you think... I was just passing through, but His Majesty insisted that I see you before leaving. I wasn’t ready, so I hesitated, but I didn’t expect to meet you so suddenly.”

It seemed Edelred, in his consideration, had decided to wait until Cedric was ready to meet Isaac.

There was no longer any sense of animosity or grudge emanating from Cedric. Given that they hadn’t parted on terrible terms before, Isaac assumed Cedric wasn’t here with any malicious intent.

“Passing through? Where were you headed?”

“Well...”

Cedric hesitated, glancing briefly at Hesabel. Isaac paused for a moment, feeling a strange sense of disbelief.

It was as if the topic of conversation tonight would never stray from this subject.

“Were you coming here to see Hesabel?”

“No, no. You misunderstand. I was on my way east. I just happened to remember an old acquaintance and decided to stop by.”

“We’re not exactly what you’d call acquaintances. Where exactly in the east?”

“Well...”

“Surely not the Kingdom of Wallachia?”

“...”

Cedric averted his gaze. Hesabel stifled a laugh.

Isaac couldn’t help but feel sorry for the aging Swordmaster.

Even though Hesabel occasionally acted like a fool around Isaac, she was, in reality, a member of the Duke’s family from the Kingdom of Wallachia.

To someone like her, wrapping someone as naive as Cedric around her finger would be child’s play. Despite having once been defeated because of Hesabel, Cedric still didn’t seem to have learned his lesson.

With a sigh, Isaac opened his mouth, thinking he might as well rescue the man.

After all, he had been looking for Cedric to take him along before leaving Elil’s Kingdom.

“Instead of hiding in an inn, stay at the monastery. While you’re there, let’s discuss our future.”

He couldn’t let such a valuable asset as a Swordmaster slip through his fingers now that Cedric had walked right into his lap.

Even though Cedric might seem a bit pathetic, he had demonstrated surprising wit and skill when needed, like during the incident where he helped Lady Rosalind.

As Hesabel brushed her hand lightly against Cedric’s as she passed by, she smiled.

“It’s good to see you again, warrior of Elil.”

That is, as long as it didn’t involve a woman.

Since he was easily swayed, it seemed wise to bring him to their side early on.

***

With the World’s Forge now integrated into the new plan, Isaac began the process of selecting who would stay behind at the estate and who would join the expedition.

Not everyone could leave for the expedition. There was a risk that the Olkan Code might resume the Great Raid, the Codex of Light couldn’t be trusted, and if the Immortal Order felt their Holy Land was threatened, they might resort to guerrilla tactics.

‘There’s no shortage of forces ready to oppose me.’

And considering the nature of the mission, which involved deep penetration into enemy territory, a small, elite strike force would be more effective than a large army. Isaac already had a suitable route in mind for that.

Naturally, all of Elil’s knights would be joining the expedition. They had come prepared to die on the battlefield.

Half of the Lycanthrope Warriors and the artisans from the Forge would also join. The Paladin Order of Gebel and Rottenhammer, along with soldiers from the Issacrea estate, would also participate. A small, elite force still required logistics, so there had to be people responsible for supplies and maintenance.

However, there was one unexpected addition to the group that Isaac hadn’t anticipated.

“What do you mean we can’t cancel the death insurance? How is that possible?”

Isaac was taken aback when he learned that they couldn’t undo the miracle attached to Angela, the orphan girl they had brought from Syracusa to Issacrea.

The death insurance miracle wasn’t supposed to be difficult to lift; even a local priest could cancel it. But despite the efforts of numerous priests at Issacrea and even the artisans of the Forge, the miracle stubbornly resisted dispelling.

A priest, who had finally managed to decipher the complex structure of the protective doctrines surrounding Angela, wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he explained.

“It’s not an ordinary contract. Multiple protective doctrines have been layered, each preventing the disclosure or revelation of any specific knowledge.”

(Continued)