Chapter 296:

Chapter 296:

On the surface, Leonora Bessia wasn’t a figure that particularly stood out to players of other faiths. After all, she was just a merchant and merely the second-in-command.

But the story was entirely different when playing as part of the Golden Idol Guild.

The Bessia family had maintained their leadership of the guild for five generations, and under the current head, Belman Bessia, there were three sisters.

Of these, the second daughter, Leonora, was the most exceptionally talented.

She manipulated players like chess pieces, ruthlessly devouring allies and enemies alike, whether they were her own sisters or rivals. She led the Golden Idol Guild to victory, carving a path through the narrow spaces others overlooked.

However, her actions were not a demonstration of faith but a relentless pursuit of her own ambitions.

She was a monster crafted by capitalism, a figure more than worthy of being called a hero of the Golden Idol Guild.

Working alongside her, players often found themselves in moral dilemmas, facing gut-wrenching decisions.

The Golden Idol Guild’s gameplay was riddled with the question, “Even in a game, do we really have to go this far to win?”

‘Why is Leonora here?’

And why was she holding his hand and acting embarrassed?

Isaac suddenly realized that even this embarrassed reaction could be a calculated move.

It was an act meant to lower his guard.

Isaac quickly withdrew his hand and bowed his head.

“I’ve heard much about your reputation, Miss Leonora.”

“Pardon? When would the Holy Grail Knight have ever heard my name?”

Isaac realized his slip-up. Their spheres of activity didn’t overlap, and any notoriety Leonora had would only be infamous.

“I heard from Caitlin that the Golden Idol Guild has an outstanding heir. She said you were the most likely to inherit the guildmaster’s position.”

Caitlin gave Isaac a look, as if wondering when she had ever said such a thing, but she wasn’t clueless. She quickly elaborated, recounting her enthusiastic praise for Leonora.

Despite Caitlin’s compliments, Leonora only managed a faint, awkward smile, unable to tear her eyes away from Isaac, seemingly entranced.

‘If that’s an act, the Golden Idol Guild must possess the miracle of theater as well.’

Isaac averted his gaze and took a seat, dismissing the notion.

To Isaac, who knew Leonora’s true nature, her gaze was as serpentine as a snake’s.

“It’s an honor to meet the famed Holy Grail Knight... or rather, the beautiful knight. Our guild has heard of your esteemed reputation from many sources. I’ve brought a few humble gifts.”

At Leonora’s gesture, the attendants began to bring forward the stacked chests. Isaac, thinking it would be unwise to get involved with her, was about to politely refuse but fell silent at the sight of the first chest.

“I’ve heard that Holy Grail Knights consider collecting sacred relics and returning them to their gods one of their highest virtues.”

Inside the chest was what appeared to be a relic of the Codex of Light, an incense burner.

Just from a glance, it was the sort of relic that should belong to a bishop.

Though it had no special abilities, most relics didn’t. They simply held immense sacred power. When combined with a priest’s miracles, this power could greatly amplify their effects.

Isaac opened the other chests one by one. Though none quite matched the incense burner, each held relics of considerable value. Even Isaac, who had sworn not to be swayed, was momentarily captivated by the sheer array of treasures.

Then, something else caught his eye.

“This... is dye?”

Five glass jars were filled with a mysterious purple powder.

The intriguing, almost magical hue of the purple dye captivated Isaac’s attention. It was an odd gift, given the practical nature of dye, making it all the more curious.

Leonora smiled and explained.

“You have a keen eye. This dye was painstakingly scraped from ancient ruins now lost to time. We nearly ground down an entire temple to collect it. There were nobles who offered a chest of gold for a single jar.”

After hearing her explanation, Isaac could almost see five chests of gold laid out before him.

It was hard to find anything with better transport efficiency than this—gold condensed into a light and portable form.

“I’ve heard she’s a surviving child of the Selmon merchants. Such pitiful souls. We usually protect, sponsor, and invest in merchants, but when it comes to the Selmon traders... it’s hard to know how to safeguard them. Is earning money really so important that they’d leave their child behind?”

As Leonora’s eyes moistened while looking at Angela, Isaac felt a jarring sense of cognitive dissonance.

The same woman who blushed at the sight of a handsome knight and teared up over an orphaned child was supposedly the real Leonora?

But Isaac quickly grounded himself.

Leonora was the kind of person who could cry today and sign papers selling the children of debtors into slavery tomorrow.

“It’s a tragic occurrence in these maddening times.”

“Fortunately, after receiving Branch Manager Caitlin’s report, I did some checking and found that Angela has a great-aunt living in Bessia. The Selmon merchants occasionally gather, so they’ve probably met before.”

The news that Angela had living relatives brought Isaac an unexpected sense of relief. He hadn’t thought to search for any family, assuming all her kin were dead, but it was a small miracle in this insane era to find that she still had blood ties.

“Well... that’s fortunate.”

“Yes, it is. The Selmon merchants often support one another, given the dangerous nature of their trade. Even if she’s only a distant relative’s child, they’ll gladly adopt and care for her, so there’s no need to worry.”

Isaac felt a strange pang of regret but nodded in agreement.

They still hadn’t uncovered whatever secrets or knowledge Angela held, but that didn’t matter. The task of reclaiming the Holy Land belonged to priests, paladins, and angels—not a ten-year-old girl.

If there was anything left for Angela, it would be finding a lich from the Immortal Order to threaten into removing the death insurance and other curses on her.

Leonora, after all, wasn’t likely to sell Angela off somewhere after saying all this. Such a betrayal would earn Isaac’s wrath tenfold, so it was more likely she intended to do the opposite.

She would show Angela great kindness, keeping her close and supporting her to strengthen her bond with Isaac.

‘Not a bad outcome.’

To have the backing of a Holy Grail Knight and the support of the deputy leader of a major merchant guild was no small boon. For a mute girl, it was an exceptional environment in a harsh world. And with Isaac’s imminent departure on the expedition, sending Angela to her relatives was certainly preferable to leaving her behind in the Issacrea territory.

“I’ll be counting on you.”

Unlike his half-hearted refusals of the lavish gifts, Isaac genuinely entrusted Angela to Leonora with a sense of gratitude.

***

Leonora left with Angela the very same day.

Despite offers to stay the night, Leonora insisted on the urgency of guild matters and hurried away. Isaac repeatedly tried to decline the gifts Leonora had brought, but she left them behind with a flimsy excuse about the horses being too tired from carrying them.

Suddenly, Isaac found himself with a surplus of funds and sacred relics.

It should have been satisfying, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of emptiness.

‘Is it because of Angela?’

Isaac hadn’t spent much time bonding with the girl. Rescuing her had been an impulsive decision, and since then, he had only shuffled her from place to place, looking for someone to care for her. She couldn’t even speak, so they hadn’t exchanged many words.

‘It feels similar to the sense of loss when a pet goes missing...’

It dawned on Isaac that he knew almost nothing about Angela. She had filled a space for a while, but now she was gone, leaving only a void.

Isaac suddenly realized that he didn’t even know Angela’s real name.

‘Come to think of it, Angela isn’t her real name. It was given to her at the orphanage in Wulthenheim.’

Isaac bolted upright from his seat on the sofa.

‘...So what record did Leonora look at to find Angela’s relative?’

A chilling thought crept up his spine.

Without wasting another moment, Isaac dashed out of the monastery. He didn’t even have time to respond to Hesabel’s questions about what was going on.

Leonora’s party couldn’t have gotten far.

There was still time to undo this foolish mistake.

[To be continued in Paladin of the Dead God]