Paladin of the Dead God

“I just wanted you to need my help. I wanted to put you in a difficult position where you would have no choice but to turn to me for assistance.”

Isaac felt even more conflicted.

Leonora’s explanation boiled down to something like a wealthy noble orchestrating a situation where a woman is placed in danger by thugs, only for the nobleman to heroically swoop in and save her. Considering the sheer number of nobles, knights, bandits, mercenaries, orcs, and assassins Leonora had hired, Isaac realized that if it weren’t for his skills, he would have died many times over.

However, Isaac now understood her desire. Leonora wanted him to become dependent on her. For someone who could walk their path entirely alone, there was nothing to want or need.

In short, Leonora wanted to *create* a desire within Isaac. She wanted to be the one who could fulfill that desire.

And to some extent, her plan had worked.

“So, what is it you came all this way to ask of me?” Leonora inquired with a playful tilt of her head.

“…I need your help,” Isaac admitted, feeling a bit pathetic. As much as he disliked it, Leonora’s scheme had succeeded, and he now needed her assistance to pay off the “tax” demanded by the Reaper.

However, Isaac also realized that this situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

The reason Isaac disliked Leonora was that she was a “monster born of wealth,” someone whose thoughts and motivations were difficult to grasp. But if she wanted him to depend on her, there was no reason he couldn’t use that to his advantage.

Leonora’s face lit up with joy. It was the first time Isaac had seen her so genuinely happy. She grinned, as if she had just heard that Isaac would pay her a fortune, and her lips twitched with amusement.

“A request, huh~? What could the Holy Grail Knight possibly want to ask of me~?”

What Leonora desired was control.

She pretended to hold the reins, but in reality, she held nothing at all. As long as Leonora was satisfied with this illusion of control, Isaac was more than happy to play along. After all, he had no intention of conceding anything substantial.

No matter what anyone said, the one holding the blade always held the true power.

Isaac played the part of the vulnerable Grail Knight in distress.

“To break the curse the Immortal Order placed on me, I need to know what *tax* has been imposed on me. Do you know what it is? Shalok hinted that it’s a person.”

Leonora narrowed her eyes and stared at Isaac. He had given her the clue that Shalok was a person, and now Leonora would likely offer a more concrete hint.

After all, she had a keen ability to assess human value.

Leonora smirked knowingly, as if she had already expected this.

“The tax… is something I can pay.”

“…You can pay it? What is it?”

“I can’t tell you that just yet. But I can tell you that it is something of equal value to you. While the Immortal Order might be cunning, the curse they placed on you, ‘Taxes and Death are Unavoidable,’ has its limitations.”

Leonora smiled brightly.

“And even if I told you, Sir Grail Knight, you wouldn’t be able to pay it. Only I can.”

Isaac frowned.

Did she really want to hold that much control over him? Was her desire simply to keep him within the palm of her hand? What benefit did that bring her?

Isaac hesitated for a moment but eventually locked his gaze with Leonora’s. His violet eyes bore into her as he used the *Eyes of Chaos* to peer into her mind. However, what he found wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Instead of focusing on the nature of the tax, Leonora’s thoughts were consumed by Isaac.

‘Isaac is someone who can grasp the world in his hands,’ she mused internally, a bitter sentiment hidden deep within her mind.

‘In the end, he will slip from my grasp. But if I can leave a deep enough mark on his heart, maybe I can stay longer.’

***

While Isaac was still navigating his negotiations with Leonora, the negotiations between Hesabel and Hastel had come to a conclusion.

Neither of them had expected things to end this way when the fight began, but both Hesabel and Hastel had reached a mutually acceptable agreement.

“Everyone, stand down,” Hesabel ordered.

At her command, the human hunters assumed the battle had been decided and entered the lighthouse. But what they saw stunned them. The head of the family and the heir were standing together in harmony.

Since the beginning of the *Succession,* no head of the family and heir had ever walked out side by side like this, so the hunters froze in shock. However, there were no penalties for the royal guard due to the trouble caused by the succession.

“…We’ll consider this ‘discipline’ for Hesabel’s long wanderings,” Hastel declared.

Discipline? The human hunters quickly realized that Hastel had decided to sweep the whole incident under the rug. But had Hesabel really accepted that?

Now that Hesabel had bared her fangs, Hastel would surely try to eliminate her at some point. In Wallachia, reconciliation was just an excuse to wait for a better opportunity to strike.

However, Hesabel looked more radiant and healthy than ever, casting her eyes downward, while Hastel, pale and weary, raised a dagger in his hand.

It was the *Rite of Division.*

“…I have retrieved the Rite of Division. Now that one of the three sacred relics has fully returned to Wallachia, I will go back and seek forgiveness from the Dancer.”

The two had struck a deal.

Hesabel had returned the Rite of Division to Hastel, and in exchange, Hastel had ceded a significant portion of the *Blood of the Chalice* to her. While this left Hastel severely weakened, it was a better outcome than returning empty-handed without the Rite.

Most importantly, to realize her ambitions, Hesabel needed Hastel’s cooperation.

“Hesabel, fulfill the task given to you.”

“I will,” Hesabel replied, her gaze briefly flickering with a thought. In Hastel’s weakened state, she considered whether now might be her chance to defeat him. But ultimately, she realized that keeping him alive was more beneficial for her, at least for now.

Hesabel couldn’t return to Wallachia just yet.

Hastel would return with the Rite of Division and prepare for the eventual rebellion.

Until then, Hesabel would remain with Isaac.

“We’re leaving. I hope we can meet again soon,” Hastel said as she leaped away, not waiting for Hesabel’s farewell. In the blink of an eye, he and the human hunters melted into the night breeze by the harbor.