Paladin of the Dead God

“You knew I’d come? Well, of course you did.”

Isaac lowered Kaldwin with a look of exasperation.

Shalok could pinpoint Isaac’s location within a few kilometers. Since Isaac had arrived near Odryf Port a day ago, he had expected Shalok to know by now.

The fact that he hadn’t run away meant he hadn’t betrayed him, at least.

Shalok placed his script on the desk and perched on the edge.

“I expected you to come with your army. I’ve heard of the reputation of the Issacrea Dawn Army. On the other hand, the Ciero Dawn Army is said to be in a stalemate at Kran Fortress. I wonder if they’ll survive until the main force arrives.”

“If you’re talking about Kran Fortress, it’s already been liberated. The Ciero Dawn Army has retreated.”

Shalok’s face showed surprise, then he quickly adopted a calculating expression.

He had suspected as much after seeing Isaac head southeast, but now he was thinking about how to profit from this information.

“I brought back a bothersome curse from there.”

“A bothersome curse? Wait, you mean a curse from the Immortal Order?”

“Right. The curse is called ‘Taxes and Death are Unavoidable.’ Do you know it?”

Shalok stared at Isaac, stunned. He realized why Isaac had come to find him. However, after scanning Isaac up and down, Shalok scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Uh, well… I don’t really know.”

“There should be a bounty on my head. Haven’t you seen any changes or signs?”

“How do you know so much about my abilities…? Well, to be honest, the 100,000 gold pieces Lady Leonora put on you isn’t the whole story.”

“It’s not?”

“Yes. To be precise, it’s incalculable. There are those who want to pay and those who want to prevent payment, but none can settle on a proper price. If it were a matter of cutting off a few fingers and setting a price, that might be possible, but…”

Isaac realized that Shalok had lied to him the first time they’d met. But he couldn’t blame him. It was Isaac who had spoken roughly, guessing from the game’s knowledge before Shalok could fully explain his abilities.

It was understandable that Shalok had hidden the full extent of his abilities.

“So, it’s still incalculable?”

“There’s been a slight change. But it’s such an abstract concept that I can’t decipher it.”

“Any guesses?”

Shalok hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“People.”

Isaac thought for a moment.

A life for a life. It was a reasonable standard for a tax.

The critical question was whose life the Immortal Order demanded. If it were specific lives, their faces would likely have appeared, but since it was abstract, it was probably humans who fit a certain criterion.

‘That’s troublesome.’

Killing innocent people to save his own life was a tough pill to swallow for Isaac, too.

When the time came, he might find it hard to go through with it, but for now, he didn’t feel inclined.

It was possible that the Immortal Order had set the tax with this in mind, exploiting his reluctance.

But regardless, he needed to know the exact tax standard to make a decision.

***

After a brief moment of contemplation, Isaac realized there wasn’t much else he could do.

“Well, I guess I have no choice. Where is Leonora?”

“Lady Leonora? She’s at the Bessia estate, the headquarters of the Golden Idol Guild… Are you really planning to go there?”

Shalok didn’t know about Leonora’s abilities. Despite having similar talents, the two had led their lives in completely different directions, which was fascinating in its own way.

“I just want to say hello.”

“Ah, well… if you just stride into the Bessia estate like that, what does that say about me? Not that my reputation matters much, but I’ve still done my part as a mercenary captain.”

“Your mission has already failed. Don’t worry; you won’t be kicked out. They’ve even given you the right to nominate the next guild leader.”

After all, the role Isaac had expected from Shalok was simply to keep Leonora from crossing the line until he arrived in Odryf.

Now that he was in Odryf, all he had to do was pay her a visit and make his point directly.

Isaac was about to give Shalok a polite warning not to overestimate himself when he noticed the odd ending to his words.

‘He said he has *done* his part, not that he will do his part?’

Knock, knock. Just as he was about to ask what he meant, there was a knock on the door.

“Captain, the lights are ready. Should we resume the rehearsal, or should we just be sent home?”

The actors, tired of waiting, had come to find Shalok themselves.

When Isaac gestured to just send them away, Shalok sighed, glanced at Isaac for permission, and turned the door handle.

Bang! The moment the door cracked open, a female actor burst in, nearly knocking the door off its hinges.

Isaac thought Shalok’s atrocious script must have finally caused a problem when he saw the stiletto in the actress’s hand. But from the moment she entered, her gaze was fixed on Isaac. The point of the blade and her footsteps were both aimed directly at his heart.

Crack! With no time to draw his sword, Isaac quickly blocked the stiletto with his left hand. The blade pierced through his palm, but there was almost no pain.

Before his tentacles could reveal themselves, Isaac broke the actress’s wrist.

But by then, she already had another stiletto in her other hand.

Whoosh, whoosh! The stiletto cut through the air, slicing towards Isaac’s throat with precision.

Professional skill. Isaac barely managed to kick the actress in the chest and send her flying backward.

“Shalok, you crazy bastard…”

Isaac was sure he’d kicked her hard enough to break her ribs. But the actress was quickly restoring her broken bones.

Leaning against the wall, Shalok wore an awkward expression.

“Haha, didn’t you say I could keep attacking the way you did, Holy Grail Knight?”

“That doesn’t mean hiring Wallachian human hunters! Are you out of your mind?”