Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 236:

One bad habit of the priests from the Codex of Light Church was staying up late.

They had no need to save on candle costs like the commoners, and they could maintain bright lighting even at midnight as if it were broad daylight. Particularly, the Ultenheim Cathedral was illuminated like a nocturnal city even at night, allowing high-ranking priests to work, enjoy hobbies, or engage in self-discipline without rest.

What was more important than what they did late into the night was that they could use far more productive time compared to ordinary people. While others could only do certain things during daylight hours, the priests could do those things for several more hours each day.

The difference accumulated over time.

Camille understood the importance of this time and strove to use it even more valuably. Her role was significant, especially now, with the Dawn Army approaching and the subtle conflict between the Emperor and the Order.

“Hmm.”

So, as Camille was finally returning to her room after finishing her work, she felt even more fatigued when she encountered Isaac in the dark hallway. It was already close to midnight.

“Appearing so charming at this hour is troublesome, Holy Grail Knight. I’m no longer at an age to be thrilled by such sudden visits.”

If a Holy Grail Knight like Isaac visited, Camille should have been informed. But since she had heard nothing of it, it meant Isaac had slipped past the cathedral guards.

Although there were no Paladins on guard inside the cathedral, there were assistant priests. Without suspicion, they bowed their heads and turned back.

Despite Isaac’s sudden midnight visit, Camille showed no concern for her safety.

Camille did not think Isaac would harm her, and even if he intended to, harming a cardinal armed with miracles and holy relics would not be easy.

However, Camille, knowing that the clever Holy Grail Knight might be slightly upset if he had grasped the situation, remained slightly wary.

Isaac handed Camille a book. Recognizing it as a compendium on the Nameless Chaos, Camille smirked.

Isaac spoke.

“Evidence found in the underground crypt. We have completed our investigation of the cult and taken appropriate measures.”

“As expected of a Holy Grail Knight. Have you already finished the task? So, what were the perpetrators like?”

“They were engaged in dangerous activities. Though I sternly reprimanded them, it won’t erase their sins. But they were just the pawns.”

“Pawns?”

“Just curious youngsters. The important question is who gave them those dangerous items and for what purpose.”

Camille continued to smile. This crafty politician of a cardinal was also skilled at maintaining a poker face.

“Did you find out anything about those behind it?”

“Roughly, yes. But there are parts that remain unexplained, so I cannot be certain yet.”

“What unexplained parts?”

“For instance, the preparation was too prolonged to be a mere frame-up, and why pass such dangerous knowledge to a blood relative?”

Isaac discovered that the ritual performed by Claire and his gang took place at least six months ago.

It took that long for the old city district’s ghost stories and accumulated fear to build up. It seemed unlikely it was a trap meant to ensnare Isaac.

The fact that Claire and Camille were related by blood was also significant.

If it were revealed that Camille’s grandson was a cultist, it would damage her reputation.

These were aspects Isaac could not understand despite his contemplation.

Realizing that Isaac had grasped the situation to some extent, Camille smiled and spoke.

“It seems you are now ready for a conversation, Isaac.”

Ready? Isaac wondered what she meant, but Camille turned away, gesturing for him to follow.

“Though a bit tired, let’s talk slowly about the doctrine of the new faith… no.”

Camille corrected the word she had been about to use.

“Let’s discuss the Teachings of the Owl.”

***

Camille led Isaac to the rear garden of Ultenheim Cathedral. Contrary to the cathedral being in the midst of the densely packed old city district, the rear garden, with its high walls and thickly packed trees, gave the feeling of being in a deep forest. The cathedral’s lights did not reach this forest.

Camille walked briskly across the well-trimmed lawn and stopped in the middle.

Isaac thought it might be a trap but sensed no such signs. Of course, being a powerful priest, Camille could perform miracles strong enough to instantly incinerate an ordinary person. But Isaac was not an ordinary Holy Grail Knight either.

He did not think about who would survive the fight. Whoever won, the aftermath would be difficult to manage.

Camille sat on a stump in the shadow of the cathedral’s light, casting her face into obscurity.

“They say angels’ ears are in the sunlight. At least here, no one will eavesdrop.”

“Are the Teachings of the Owl such dangerous talk?”

“It depends on who mentions them.”

Camille’s answer made Isaac’s suspicions grow.

Why had Camille told her grandson Claire about the Teachings of the Owl and the Nameless Chaos?

“Are you the successor of the Teachings of the Owl?”

The Teachings of the Owl should have been designated heretical and censored long ago. But the materials remained and were passed on to Claire and young priests. Isaac noticed that these materials Claire obtained were neither too old nor grammatically outdated.

It meant someone had been continuously organizing, copying, and passing them down.

“The term ‘successor’ of the teachings is misleading, Holy Grail Knight. Knowledge exists, and we are all humble students before the refined order. The term ‘successor’ implies monopolizing the knowledge.”

Camille’s answer gave Isaac certainty.

Unbelievably, Cardinal Camille was either deeply immersed in or was the Owl herself. Though he couldn’t be sure as there were no accurate records of the Owl.

“Are you the Owl?”

“No. The Owl lived roughly 500 years ago… or perhaps even earlier. I do not know who he was. I can only speculate that he might have been one of the angels.”

An angel with heretical tendencies. Among the angels of the Codex of Light that Isaac remembered, there was no one named Owl. This meant he had either become a fallen angel or was hiding his true name.

Whoever he was, he must have been on bad terms with the Lighthouse Keeper.

“The identity of the Owl is not important. What matters is his teachings.”

Camille said with a dry smile.

“Holy Grail Knight, do you know when the Teachings of the Owl were most popular?”

“…When was it?”

“300 years ago. Just before the white plague spread.”

Isaac fell silent. Just before the white plague. Before the name of the Nameless Chaos was forgotten.

The Order had become extremely corrupt, and the entire continent was engulfed in apocalyptic frenzy.

Camille was saying that the new doctrine Isaac spoke of, or the Teachings of the Owl, were popular during that time.

Isaac, maintaining his composure, retorted.

“I heard the Order was extremely corrupt back then. If the Teachings of the Owl demanded fundamental reform and moral rectitude, it would naturally have garnered public support.”

“The group that most actively embraced the Teachings of the Owl were the followers of the Nameless Chaos.”

Every time Camille answered, Isaac felt like he had been punched in the gut.

‘These bastards were useless then and still are now.’

Isaac bitterly thought, wondering how to explain his ignorance. In hindsight, the apocalyptic followers of Chaos and the Owl’s teachings, which demanded that ‘gods do not interfere in the world,’ would inevitably intersect.

In the end, the Teachings of the Owl demanded the end of the current world order.

“…So, learning the Teachings of the Owl and studying the miracles of the Nameless Chaos is the essence of the essence?”

Camille burst out laughing at Isaac’s reply.

“Of course not. I think the followers of the Nameless Chaos misunderstood the Teachings of the Owl. The teachings are about studying the order of the world and using it logically. But in the process, they summoned the white plague upon the world, which was their downfall.”

“….”

“In that context, I don’t personally think researching the Nameless Chaos is bad. We must bridle the monster that might awaken at any moment.”

***

Isaac could finally surmise Claire’s inner thoughts.

As a student of the Teachings of the Owl, Claire believed in studying everything, including other faiths. However, as a follower of the Codex of Light, other faiths were merely subjects of research and experimentation, nothing more, nothing less.

The Nameless Chaos was no exception.

Camille might have heard about the Teachings of the Owl from her parents, grandparents, or teachers. She too might have gone through the same process as Claire in the past and now intended to pass on the knowledge under the guise of coincidence and mistake.

Even if her grandson was sacrificed in the process, it was a problem to be endured.

The pursuit of knowledge was a given for followers of the Codex of Light, and through sacrifice, other paths might be found.

Camille said that past followers had misunderstood the Teachings of the Owl, but Isaac thought she was no different.

Followers of the Nameless Chaos only upheld the claim that ‘gods should not interfere with humans,’ and Camille viewed miracles merely as the laws and phenomena by which the world operated. They both interpreted the religious doctrines as they saw fit.

Isaac realized anew that the Codex of Light likely held the most extensive collection of materials on the Nameless Chaos. Through centuries of censorship and investigation, they must have burned countless materials while also collecting them.

“…So, why did you entrust the investigation of your grandson to me?”

“I trusted your character and believed you had the skill to solve it without sacrifice.”

Camille said in a voice tinged with laughter.

“But most of all, I was curious if you shared our way of thinking.”

Isaac had not spread the new doctrine along with the miracles of the Nameless Chaos… though he had a guilty conscience.

It was true that he had intended to create a faction within the Codex of Light and cause a division. However, that was something that had happened within the Codex of Light 300 years ago. They had brought about the apocalypse to end a corrupt world or to prevent further change.

‘Is this what the Nameless Chaos wants?’

Repeating the same thing that happened 300 years ago?

It was hard to think so. There was no need to do it now, and Isaac would not accept it. If they did, they would have chosen someone much more compliant and obedient than Isaac.

But Camille summarized her words simply.

“Holy Grail Knight, I know you have nothing to do with the Nameless Chaos.”

“….”

Isaac averted his gaze to the air. Fortunately, the shadows of the dark forest hid his eyes.

“But I must warn you that the new doctrine you openly preach is attracting considerable attention from the priests. The Church cannot ignore it considering your influence.”

Even though Camille had learned the Teachings of the Owl, she was still a cardinal of the Codex of Light Order. She had no intention of deviating from the Order’s rules.

She held knowledge of the Nameless Chaos solely for instrumental use.

To bridle the Nameless Chaos that might awaken at any moment.

Isaac felt as though he too was being bridled by her.

After a moment of silence, Isaac spoke.

“So, you researched the doctrine of the Nameless Chaos for academic purposes, secretly passed it on to your grandson, and tried to rope me in as well?”

“I find the term ‘roped in’ a bit uncomfortable, Holy Grail Knight.”

Camille replied languidly, as if tired.

“I wanted to imply that your beliefs align with ours. But if you insist on taking a different path, you might end up being falsely accused of being connected to the cult.”

Isaac laughed.

Just as the Emperor did, the Church was trying to keep Isaac on their side in their own way. While the Emperor tried to win favor by giving away various things, the Order was trying to bridle him.

This was how the overwhelmingly powerful Church ruled the world.

In the image Amundalas had shown him from 300 years ago, there were wealthy power brokers who had tried to bring about the end of the world.

Isaac realized that those people were like Cardinal Camille before him.

Those who were willing to bring about the apocalypse to ensure their victory.

They had not learned from the great catastrophe.

“Despite all the precautions, I ended up being accused of being connected to the cult.”

“If you follow the Church’s instructions from now on, it will be fine. But… precautions?”

Camille frowned, puzzled by his tone, which suggested he had tried to avoid evidence linking him to the cult.

Ignoring her question, Isaac continued.

“Cardinal, I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Did you not consider that passing dangerous materials to those young priests might result in casualties due to their mistakes?”

Camille tilted her head at Isaac’s question.

“Hmm, a few might die if they’re unlucky. But it doesn’t affect the greater good if a few lowly lives in the old city perish. In fact, it’s better to clean up the suspicious people in the old city while we have the chance.”

“I see. That’s clear.”

Isaac felt a strange clarity of mind.

It seemed an old question had been answered.

Camille did not know that her released materials might lead to her grandson’s death and thousands of casualties in the old city. She would never know since it hadn’t happened yet.

But even if it happened right before her eyes, Isaac was sure Camille would not blink an eye.

Her purpose was up in the high heavens, not in the gutters of the old city.

Isaac took something out of a small leather bag at his waist. It was a bag that paladins usually used to store scriptures when on an expedition, but what came out was not an ordinary scripture.

Camille’s expression hardened as she felt the powerful heretical energy from the book. It was a heretical artifact far beyond any materials she had collected.

“As you said, it might be better to do some cleaning up.”

_____________

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