Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 297: On the Opposite Side of the Scale (4)

The carriage carrying Leonora sped along so fast that dust trailed behind it. As she watched the passing scenery, her thoughts lingered on the Holy Grail Knight she had just met.

‘I’ve never encountered someone like that in my life.’

When she thought of Isaac’s face, Leonora felt a renewed sense of awe. He was as handsome as the rumors had said, but what captivated Leonora wasn’t his superficial good looks.

Handsome men could be lined up with a bit of gold. But unless she intended to sell them as consorts, she had no interest in handsome men.

What she valued was ‘worth.’

The value of treasures, the value of real estate, the value of a business…

Leonora had a natural talent for assigning a price to everything she saw.

Things that others considered trash often appeared to her as something valuable, and ordinary haunted houses looked like prime real estate to her.

Her instinct was almost always spot on.

Whether it was a miracle granted by the Golden Idol, innate intuition, or merely a lucky illusion, the Golden Idol’s blessings were the most unclear and ambiguous compared to other faiths.

Thus, Leonora believed that this talent was a miracle granted to her.

Thanks to this, she held overwhelming influence among her three sisters. Many merchants believed that the future of the guild belonged to Leonora, not her straightforward older sister or her bratty younger sister who thought pouting and begging would get her everything.

Leonora also believed this. But today, her belief wavered.

‘I don’t even know what to call it…’

The moment she saw Isaac, Leonora felt as though she was watching gold in motion.

It wasn’t just a statue of gold coming to life.

Wherever Isaac touched, wherever he stepped, even in his sighs, the world turned to gold, treasures rippled like waves, and rare dyes and spices appeared as if on display.

‘If that Holy Grail Knight had been born an orc, he would have become a Khan. If he were undead, he would have vied for regency within the Immortal Order. If he had been born a merchant… he would have become the grand merchant controlling all the world’s goods.’

Leonora couldn’t help but think this, and then she was startled by her own thoughts.

Isaac was already a grand warrior of Elil in the Elil Kingdom, and had received the status of a saint within the Codex of Light. Rumor had it that he even held sway over the Red Chalice and the Salt Council.

Leonora had believed she could become the grand merchant leading the Golden Idol Guild. But now, that belief was shaken.

Before such an overwhelming existence, talent, effort, and cunning did not matter.

Whoever could hold on to Isaac would become the grand merchant.

So Leonora couldn’t bring herself to face Isaac for long. If she stayed any longer, she felt she might be drawn into his allure. If she stayed close, she might end up becoming part of his golden procession, turning into the Holy Grail Knight’s ‘asset’ in an instant.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

Fortunately, Leonora was aware of Isaac’s value and managed to keep her distance.

Leonora didn’t want to become anyone’s asset. She was someone who moved gold, not gold itself.

Isaac was a treasure she had to acquire.

The fact that he was married didn’t matter. A married man, in some ways, was already a proven asset. And if the one who had validated him was the daughter of the Brant duchy, all the better.

Those who only saw his looks would never realize Isaac’s true worth. Only she could see what Isaac truly was…

Kurururu… The carriage suddenly slowed down, interrupting her thoughts. Leonora opened the window toward the driver’s seat. The carriage had stopped at a fork in the road.

“Why did we stop?”

“Miss, it would be best to detour toward the Norden Port instead of going through Lenheim.”

The coachman spoke calmly.

Leonora needed to head urgently to southern Audry, so taking a major detour north was absurd. But she didn’t ignore the coachman’s advice.

“Is it a major threat?”

“We could die.”

The coachman replied firmly.

The coachman was another valuable person Leonora had discovered. He was one of the few people she trusted with her life.

He had a similar gift to Leonora’s—a talent for sensing ‘threats.’

The coachman’s answer made Leonora’s expression grow serious.

The coachman and the mercenaries guarding her were more than capable of dealing with a gang of bandits. If he was speaking like this, it meant something truly dangerous was approaching.

Leonora’s gaze shifted to the girl sitting across from her in the carriage, Angela. Leonora no longer saw the warmth from Isaacrea Manor in her eyes but rather the cold calculation of a merchant’s gaze assessing value.

“It seems we’ve picked up some troublemakers. Let’s do as you suggested.”

“Yes. We’ll keep moving even after dark, just in case.”

The coachman turned the carriage in the direction Leonora had instructed.

***

But the carriage didn’t get far before it had to stop again.

When Leonora opened the window to the driver’s seat, she saw the coachman standing with his sword already drawn. It meant escaping by pushing the carriage onward was no longer an option.

“It’s the Holy Grail Knight, Miss.”

“Isaac of Isaacrea?”

Leonora couldn’t understand how Isaac, who should still be at the castle, had arrived ahead of her. Was there some secret route?

Leonora was about to step out of the carriage, but the coachman gestured for her to stay. Only then did she realize the significance of the drawn sword.

‘The Holy Grail Knight is the threat?’

Leonora found herself in a troubling situation, but instead of panicking, she calmly began to prepare for what was to come.

Meanwhile, Isaac, who had quickly flown in on Nel, approached the carriage with a weary expression. He had expected them to head toward Lenheim, but when they suddenly veered north, the situation became even more exhausting.

The coachman had drawn his sword, but the sheer presence of ‘threat’ radiating from Isaac made him sigh deeply.

No matter what, this was an opponent he could never hope to defeat.

Oblivious mercenaries had encircled the carriage with their horses, but Isaac showed no sign of tension.

“What brings the renowned Holy Grail Knight here in the dead of night, sneaking around like a thief?”

The coachman’s words were laced with hope that Isaac would act as the honorable knight he was reputed to be, but Isaac’s focus was more on the latter half of the statement than the former.

“Is Angela inside?”

“She’s with Lady Leonora. The conversation went well, and we agreed to return her to her relatives. What changed your mind? Even so, sneaking around like this… it’s not right…”

Isaac smirked at the mention of her ‘relatives.’

“Relatives, you say? Angela isn’t even her real name. The only thing we know is that she’s a Selmon merchant’s child. How did you come across a lead that would lead you to her relatives?”

“That’s enough. I’ll explain.”

Leonora, who had completed her preparations, stepped out of the carriage. The coachman positioned himself where he could jump into action if necessary.

Once more, Leonora was struck by the sensation of awe as she faced Isaac under the moonlight.

How could this man manage to drag treasure along even in this desolate land? But the unfortunate truth was that this time, the treasure he sought was already in Leonora’s possession.

“You’ve grown suspicious, Holy Grail Knight. You must have grown quite attached to the child.”

“Tell me quickly. Why are you trying to take Angela?”

“As I said, Angela’s true identity is still unclear. But Selmon merchants are not numerous, and they tend to live together in family units, so investigations are swift. A 10-year-old girl who recently lost her parents, based in Syracusa, and who has traveled through the Black Empire. With these clues, we can narrow it down quite precisely.”

Leonora answered without hesitation. Even Isaac, who had charged in confident that something was amiss, found himself at a loss.

“The investigation showed her father’s name was Tamil, and her mother’s was Osha. Tamil’s older sister remembered she had a niece, though she didn’t know her name. Even if it’s not exact, Selmon merchants are a small enough bloodline that we can trace her relatives eventually.”

Isaac was momentarily speechless.

Leonora responded as if she had anticipated Isaac’s doubts. Now, the only reason Isaac had left to suspect her was rooted in game lore: “You’re a sociopath molded by capitalism.”

Taking an orphaned girl to safety with her relatives in the rear lines.

Leonora’s explanation had all the justification and rationale needed.

All Isaac could do was object.

“I’ll take her myself.”

Leonora’s lips twitched.

“That would be… problematic, Sir Knight.”

“Is that so?”

The moment Leonora answered, Isaac drew Kaldwin. If she had simply said, “Go ahead,” he would have apologized and let her leave.

But her response confirmed what he had suspected all along.

The very suspicion he had been unable to fully verify.

“Does Angela know the location of the ‘Midas’ Hand?”

For the first time, Leonora’s calm demeanor cracked.

***

Isaac had always suspected it.

Why would Angela’s parents, affiliated with the Golden Idol Guild, risk their lives to reach Holy Land Lua?

What were they seeking there?

Most people wouldn’t easily answer that question, but Isaac could make an educated guess—he had seen the ending of the Golden Idol Guild route.

Somewhere within that place lay the greatest relic of the Golden Idol: the Midas’ Hand.

The victory condition for the Golden Idol Guild—‘The Midas’ Hand.’

It was the final ending Isaac had seen in Nameless Chaos, and also the most difficult and convoluted. Winning with the Midas’ Hand was challenging not because of its inherent significance, but because the Golden Idol Guild lacked power and could not expect significant divine buffs.

It was a completion task for those deliberately playing ‘weak characters,’ nothing more and nothing less.

Moreover, the ultimate conclusion of this route was to turn the entire world into gold—a tasteless pursuit if there ever was one. There might be deeper meaning behind it, but Isaac didn’t care about that right now.

What mattered was that the Midas’ Hand was located in Holy Land Lua.

However, the Midas’ Hand wasn’t a tangible relic; it existed as a nebulous concept. It was a kind of anomaly that had emerged when the Immortal Emperor Beshek broke the boundaries between heaven and earth.

To manifest it in reality required a specific ritual.

Isaac suspected that Angela and her family might have discovered how to locate the Midas’ Hand.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The Midas’ Hand?”

Leonora forced herself to keep her voice calm. It was natural for her to deny it, as hardly anyone knew about the Midas’ Hand. Even the coachman and the mercenaries exchanged puzzled glances.

“Pretend all you like, but I know the truth. The Midas’ Hand is…”

He was about to reveal that it was the only way for the Golden Idol Guild to overturn the entire game, when Leonora hurriedly raised her hand.

“Wait, wait. I get it, so please stop talking. If you blurt that out, I’ll have to kill everyone here.”

The mercenaries’ shocked gazes flickered as she spoke, and only the coachman, who would likely be the executioner, readied his sword.

Leonora glanced briefly at the mercenaries and said, “Your escort duties are complete. Go wait for me in Lenheim.”

Without a word of protest, the mercenaries turned their horses and left. Seeing Leonora reduce her guards, Isaac couldn’t help but admire her boldness, but it was a prudent move; a few mercenaries wouldn’t change the outcome of what was to come. Once the mercenaries had gone far enough, Leonora turned back to Isaac.

“…Yes, the Midas’ Hand is in Holy Land Lua. And the Golden Idol Guild, especially the Selmon merchants, have spent considerable time and effort to pinpoint its exact location.”

“And Angela was the first to come back with something close to a lead.”

“A remarkable result indeed. Though why they returned to Syracusa instead of Audry, I cannot say.”

“Why do you think?”

Isaac spoke coldly, fixing Leonora with a piercing gaze.

“Because they knew you’d rip that girl’s head open if you thought it would get you what you wanted.”

Even the monastery’s priest had suggested using a relic that could risk Angela becoming catatonic to break the protective miracle. Leonora could have taken even more drastic measures in her pursuit of precise information.

Isaac’s words elicited no denial or outrage from Leonora. She only offered a sad yet chilling smile.

Isaac felt a surge of anger as he looked at that smile.

“Is gold really that important to you? You’d rip open a kid’s mind just to get a hand that makes gold?”

“…Making gold? Why would I need something like that?”

Leonora’s expression turned genuinely perplexed. Isaac wondered if this was yet another one of her deceitful acts, but Leonora stared back at him with a strange, unreadable look.

Then she broke into a bright smile, as if she had realized something.

“Aha, so the Holy Grail Knight doesn’t actually know what the Midas’ Hnad is!”