Chapter 290

Isaac had an incredulous expression.

"What do you mean, 'Is it true the Emperor was excommunicated?' What nonsense is that? Do you think excommunication is some kind of joke or prank? You people have excommunication too, don't you?"

"No, I was certain that the Codex of Light was up to some strange trick again. Like breaking the Licht Treaty to create a nation ruled by angels once more."

"That's what ended up happening, though. This is now the Gerthonia Holy Empire."

"Something doesn't add up."

"What doesn't?"

"I don't know exactly what the Licht Treaty entails. I just vaguely understand it as dividing power between the earth and the heavens. Because of that, angels couldn't directly rule a country, but the treaty was broken when the Emperor relinquished his power, right?"

"You seem to know quite a bit. No need to explain how you came to know it."

Isaac felt a twinge of pity for the priests who had likely been captured and tortured under the Olkan Code, forced to reveal the 'truth behind the Emperor's excommunication.'

Atlan's questions continued.

"So, if the Emperor were made a Khan, wouldn't that break the Licht Treaty? Why was it necessary to excommunicate the Emperor?"

Though it would be more accurate to call him a regent or pope, Atlan seemed to understand the general idea.

Isaac was about to dismiss the notion with disdain when he suddenly realized that it did sound strange.

The Emperor had handed over his power to an angel, which led to the breaking of the Licht Treaty.

At that point, the Lighthouse Keeper could have made Waltzemer the pope—or emperor—without issue. Since the Licht Treaty had already been broken, they could have used Waltzemer as a figurehead.

Waltzemer, as a divine entity, would be far more effective than an incompetent pope.

'Did they exclude Waltzemer because his ambitions were too dangerous?'

If that were the case, they should have burned him to death instead of merely excommunicating him.

That would have been a far safer method.

However, they chose to excommunicate him and imprison him, even giving him a chance to escape. As a result, the Codex of Light created a latent threat behind the scenes.

Making the Emperor the pope, or killing him outright, would have been the wise choice.

'But if they excommunicated him... does that mean there was a need to keep Waltzemer alive?'

A disturbing suspicion flashed through Isaac's mind.

Perhaps Waltzemer's escape was orchestrated by the Lighthouse Keeper.

***

By the time Atlan returned, an early winter had arrived in the Gelford Mountains.

Though many orcs still roamed the mountains, most chose the efficient method of s*****e over becoming prisoners or suffering in the cold.

They would likely be dealt with before winter fully set in.

While the remaining orcs took their own lives one by one, they seemingly couldn't bring themselves to kill their horses and simply released them into the wild.

A significant number of those horses returned to the Olkan Code's encampments on their own, but Isaac was able to capture a fair amount of quality warhorses from the mountains. As a result, the Issacrea estate suddenly became the territory within the Gerthonia Empire with the most warhorses.

Of course, having many horses wasn't necessarily a good thing. Warhorses required specific food, consumed enormous amounts, and had limited uses. More importantly, it wasn't possible to feed them all when even food for people was scarce.

Unable to claim compensation from the Olkan Code, Isaac faced the grim prospect of going bankrupt before winter ended.

He needed to take action before that happened.

"Sell them to our guild."

Caitlin, the head of the Golden Idol Guild's Issacrea branch, who had swiftly returned upon hearing that the war was nearly over, made the proposal with a confident smile.

"The Golden Idol Guild is expanding its mercenary force in both scale and quality. Warhorses from Mount Sahar, specialized in bombardment and marching, have significant value. We'll pay a good price for them!"

"Is it wise for merchants to expand their mercenary forces so much? Aren't you worried your hand will become bigger than your body?"

"With so few religions hiring mercenaries, what's the big deal? All those mercenaries are part of the Golden Idol Guild. They're true devotees, willing to risk their lives for the jingle and gleam of gold."

In these tumultuous times, even the Golden Idol Guild had to adapt. Though there was a brief moment of panic when their strong backer, Waltzemer, disappeared, the guild continued to wield money to control priests and paladins without hesitation.

If they couldn't raise paladins or priests themselves, they'd simply create them with money.

Indeed, they were a group that embodied the spirit of plutocracy.

Some had remarked, during the period when the Emperor and the Church were at odds, that they had to pay both sides, but now they only needed to pay the Church—an ungrateful but quintessentially Golden Idol Guild sentiment.

After some deliberation, Isaac decided to sell half of the warhorses he owned.

Though Caitlin had her eye on more, Isaac had his own use for the remaining half. Even with just that portion, Isaac managed to secure enough funds that he no longer needed to worry about lacking compensation.

***

After concluding negotiations with Caitlin, Isaac ascended a dry mountain path.

The trees, as if preparing for the impending winter, had dried up and scattered their leaves. Beneath the countless fallen leaves, the Gelford Mountains concealed the scars of war, pretending as if nothing had ever happened.

"Paladin of the Holy Grail, you've arrived."

But standing before him were those who had yet to end their battles.

Including Isaac himself.

As he stepped into the clearing in front of the abandoned mine entrance, Isaac greeted Tuhalin and Edelred, who had arrived earlier.

"Thank you both for coming. While the monastery might have been a more fitting location, I thought this place might be more comfortable for you, given your different faiths."

Tuhalin stroked his beard with a smile.

"This Holy Grail Knight seems to understand etiquette and consideration. The paladins I've met before were all insane. But I like it here—it feels like my own little retreat now."

"I wouldn't have minded the monastery either, Sir Isaacrea. Elil has never denied the light. But the view here is indeed refreshing."

It seemed that Tuhalin appreciated the old mine, while Edelred favored the magnificent, open landscape of the mountains.

Judging that he had shown enough courtesy, Isaac skipped the formalities and got straight to the point.

"I understand both of you have been busy with your own matters. However, I believe you might now be considering your next steps."

Tuhalin had been roaming the Gelford Mountains all day, leading his Lycanthrope warriors to hunt down the remnants of the orc forces scattered throughout. Edelred, meanwhile, had been scouting the area near Seor, keeping watch for any suspicious movements.

Though the Olkan Code had not fully withdrawn and was still licking its wounds, there were no immediate signs that the Great Raid would resume. All they could do was hope that Atlan would fulfill his role before that beast went berserk again.

But the objectives of both Elil and the World's Forge were, in the end, war.

Tuhalin licked his lips with a grin.

"So, the next plan, is it? Are we finally going on the offensive?"

"I wouldn't mind if it gave my knights a chance to earn military merits."

It seemed both were in favor of war. Tuhalin had come down from his isolation to kill orcs, and Edelred was here to carry out Elil's grand war.

But Isaac began by disappointing them.

"I'm sorry, but I believe fighting the Olkan Code here is unnecessary."

***

A brief silence followed, after which Tuhalin raised his voice.

"What do you mean, Holy Grail Knight? I helped you first, believing you'd assist us in return. Is the Codex of Light betraying our trust?"

"I have no intention of denying the debt I owe, Tuhalin. But let me be clear. If you had charged directly at the Olkan Code on the plains, it would have been nothing more than a glorious death."

"You insolent...."

"I provided you with food, supplies, safe drinking water, and maps. As a result, thanks to Elil and my help, you were able to crush more orc skulls. Am I wrong?"

When on an expedition, local cooperation is crucial.

Though Tuhalin had visited before, 360 years had passed, making it not much different from visiting for the first time. Even the Issacrea estate had changed significantly from just two years ago.

The fact that the World's Forge greatly aided in containing the Olkan Code was undeniable. But the alignment of their goals meant that Isaac had also provided significant help, not merely owing a debt.

Isaac wanted to make that clear.

Before Tuhalin could say anything more, Edelred spoke up.

"Sir Isaacrea is a man who understands honor. Let's hear him out first, Tuhalin."

As Tuhalin closed his mouth, Isaac gave Edelred a grateful nod before continuing.

"That said, I do not intend to ignore the warmth the World's Forge has extended to its neighbors. I plan to set a different location as our battlefield, not Seor."

Isaac unfolded a map he had brought with him.

It was a roughly hand-drawn map of the continent. However, it marked all the important locations, from the Kingdom of Elil to the Sahar Plains, the Svalbard Archipelago, Lichtheim, and the Holy Land occupied by the Immortal Order. Edelred tilted his head in curiosity at the unfamiliar style of the map, while Tuhalin's expression stiffened as he noticed that even the Svalbard Archipelago—practically unknown to the Empire's citizens—was accurately depicted.

"The shape is somewhat different from the maps I'm familiar with. Was this newly surveyed?"

"It might be the most accurate map in the world, Your Majesty."

Because it was a map Isaac had drawn from memory, based on the game's map.

Though he had drawn it from memory, Isaac had made every effort to replicate the in-game map as closely as possible. While precise scaling wasn't feasible, by the standards of this era's technology, it was one of the best. Especially the key regions were depicted with great accuracy.

Isaac first pointed to the northeastern part of the Gerthonia Holy Empire, the Issacrea estate, and the mountain range extending southward. To the west of the mountain range was a depiction of the sun, and to the east were orcs.

"The west is territory occupied by the Codex of Light, and the east is under the control of the Olkan Code. Many lands of the Gerthonia Holy Empire and smaller nations have been trampled by them."

Just as the White Empire wasn't particularly friendly with each other, the Black Empire wasn't necessarily on good terms either. The Olkan Code had proven this by pillaging even nations that followed the Red Chalice and the Immortal Order during this Great Raid. While the Immortal Order and Red Chalice hadn't made a fuss about it, given that the Dawn Army was moving eastward, there was surely some invisible power struggle between them.

Tuhalin murmured with a wry smile.

"In the midst of all this, instead of protecting their believers, the Codex of Light proceeds with the Dawn Army towards the Holy Land. They're out of their minds. So, what's your point?"

Isaac traced the line of territory occupied by the orcs to the east with his finger.

"So, let's do the Codex of Light's job for them. We march south along this line."

The smile began to fade from Tuhalin's lips.

"On our way, we kill, plunder, and burn any orcs we encounter."

But Isaac's hand didn't stop as he traced the line down the map. He continued to draw his hand downward, passing through various famous cities, historic sites, and sacred lands.

"Even if we don't encounter orcs, we keep going."

Edelred noticed that the places Isaac's finger brushed over were not chosen at random but were strategically important for supply, strategy, and rest. Realizing this, Edelred found Isaac's plan even more shocking.

When Isaac's hand finally crossed the sea, Tuhalin felt an urge to tell him to stop.

But Isaac's hand stopped at a spot precariously close to the edge of the map.

The place where the Lighthouse Keeper was burned at the stake, where the Immortal Emperor Beshek pulled the Netherworld into the living world.

The final destination of the Dawn Army.

"This place, the Holy Land, is where I intend to make our final stand. I plan to reclaim the Holy Land before the Codex of Light."

"You...."

"Tuhalin, Your Majesty Edelred. Thank you for coming all this way across the sea to help. Since you've come this far, could I trouble you to go just a bit further?"