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Chapter 296:

The Bessia family had maintained their leadership of the guild for five generations, and under the current head, Belman Bessia, there were three sisters.

Of these, the second daughter, Leonora, was the most exceptionally talented.

She manipulated players like chess pieces, ruthlessly devouring allies and enemies alike, whether they were her own sisters or rivals. She led the Golden Idol Guild to victory, carving a path through the narrow spaces others overlooked.

However, her actions were not a demonstration of faith but a relentless pursuit of her own ambitions.

She was a monster crafted by capitalism, a figure more than worthy of being called a hero of the Golden Idol Guild.

Working alongside her, players often found themselves in moral dilemmas, facing gut-wrenching decisions.

The Golden Idol Guild’s gameplay was riddled with the question, “Even in a game, do we really have to go this far to win?”

‘Why is Leonora here?’

And why was she holding his hand and acting embarrassed?

Isaac suddenly realized that even this embarrassed reaction could be a calculated move.

It was an act meant to lower his guard.

Isaac quickly withdrew his hand and bowed his head.

“I’ve heard much about your reputation, Miss Leonora.”

“Pardon? When would the Holy Grail Knight have ever heard my name?”

Isaac realized his slip-up. Their spheres of activity didn’t overlap, and any notoriety Leonora had would only be infamous.

“I heard from Caitlin that the Golden Idol Guild has an outstanding heir. She said you were the most likely to inherit the guildmaster’s position.”

Caitlin gave Isaac a look, as if wondering when she had ever said such a thing, but she wasn’t clueless. She quickly elaborated, recounting her enthusiastic praise for Leonora.

Despite Caitlin’s compliments, Leonora only managed a faint, awkward smile, unable to tear her eyes away from Isaac, seemingly entranced.

‘If that’s an act, the Golden Idol Guild must possess the miracle of theater as well.’

Isaac averted his gaze and took a seat, dismissing the notion.

To Isaac, who knew Leonora’s true nature, her gaze was as serpentine as a snake’s.

“It’s an honor to meet the famed Holy Grail Knight… or rather, the beautiful knight. Our guild has heard of your esteemed reputation from many sources. I’ve brought a few humble gifts.”

At Leonora’s gesture, the attendants began to bring forward the stacked chests. Isaac, thinking it would be unwise to get involved with her, was about to politely refuse but fell silent at the sight of the first chest.

“I’ve heard that Holy Grail Knights consider collecting sacred relics and returning them to their gods one of their highest virtues.”

Inside the chest was what appeared to be a relic of the Codex of Light, an incense burner.

Just from a glance, it was the sort of relic that should belong to a bishop.

Though it had no special abilities, most relics didn’t. They simply held immense sacred power. When combined with a priest’s miracles, this power could greatly amplify their effects.

Isaac opened the other chests one by one. Though none quite matched the incense burner, each held relics of considerable value. Even Isaac, who had sworn not to be swayed, was momentarily captivated by the sheer array of treasures.

Then, something else caught his eye.

“This… is dye?”

Five glass jars were filled with a mysterious purple powder.

The intriguing, almost magical hue of the purple dye captivated Isaac’s attention. It was an odd gift, given the practical nature of dye, making it all the more curious.

Leonora smiled and explained.

“You have a keen eye. This dye was painstakingly scraped from ancient ruins now lost to time. We nearly ground down an entire temple to collect it. There were nobles who offered a chest of gold for a single jar.”

After hearing her explanation, Isaac could almost see five chests of gold laid out before him.

It was hard to find anything with better transport efficiency than this—gold condensed into a light and portable form.

Each item was a treasure that was difficult to look away from, so Isaac said something he didn’t mean, if only to show restraint.

“…These are too extravagant.”

“They are modest gifts compared to the grace you have shown the world and our guild, Sir Holy Grail Knight.”

Leonora’s smile was warm and inviting. Isaac knew the Golden Idol Guild possessed immense wealth, but for them to part with such sacred relics as mere gifts was unnerving.

The Golden Idol Guild never engaged in losing trades, especially not someone like Leonora.

“Thanks to your efforts, we’ve been able to establish cooperation with Elil, the Salt Council, and even the World’s Forge on the continent. We’ve made substantial profits from that alone. Please don’t feel burdened.”

The World’s Forge had only recently set foot on the continent. Yet it seemed the Golden Idol Guild had already found ways to conduct business during that brief time. Even if not, their generosity suggested they had made quite a fortune recently.

“You’ve made quite a lot of money off this war, haven’t you?”

Isaac posed a question that could have cooled the mood, but Leonora only responded with an ambiguous smile.

In that smile, Isaac caught a fleeting glimpse of her sociopathic nature.

“Yes. Normally, when war breaks out, trade routes are disrupted, and the economy grinds to a halt. That’s why the Golden Idol Guild doesn’t particularly favor wars. But this time, things played out differently.”

Leonora took a sip from her wine glass, her lips curling into a shy smile as she continued.

“The Emperor granted us a monopoly on supplying certain goods to the military. The profits more than made up for any downturn caused by the economic slump.”

“You must be disappointed by Emperor Waltzemer’s downfall?”

“Oh, of course, some ‘ruffians’ attacked merchants at that time, causing problems. But when the Church took full control, the situation improved. Priests suddenly found themselves running state affairs, but lacking administrative skills, they sold off some of the empire’s businesses for ‘management efficiency.’”

“Oh? And what kind of businesses would those be?”

“Hmm, just to name a few: the existing military supply contracts, tax collection, transport of goods, road maintenance, port fees, exclusive mining rights… The sort of things we could never have dreamed of under the Emperor’s rule. And those priests? When it comes to anything related to the Dawn Army, they spend money like there’s no tomorrow. May the blessings of the Codex of Light be upon them.”

This was a horrific privatization fantasy—an apocalypse in the making.

Isaac could confidently say that the “exclusive military supply contracts” probably involved items managed by none other than Leonora Bessia herself, and the “merchant attacks by some bandits” were most likely orchestrated against caravans operated by her rival sisters.

The business rights granted by the religious order were surely ripped from the hands of others by Leonora’s ruthless tactics.

Isaac knew because these were the types of activities he engaged in while playing the Golden Idol Guild.

Leonora spoke with pride, but she eventually reined in her overly self-satisfied expression and continued.

“But the profits from war are always fleeting. The clergy may find themselves missing the stability they once had, so it’s in everyone’s best interest that this war ends quickly, with peace restored. The Golden Idol Guild wishes for nothing less than a swift and victorious conclusion to this conflict.”

Leonora spoke as if the sacrifices, the demonstrations of faith, and declarations of victory mattered little to her. Isaac had once scorned Huon for being a materialistic capitalist, but compared to Leonora, Huon seemed almost noble.

Leonora truly was on a different level.

Isaac could also see the meaning behind Leonora’s gifts.

She intended to invest in him.

When the war was over and the spoils were distributed, she was betting that Isaac would be a significant contributor to the victory. In truth, Isaac was confident in his ability to conquer the Holy Land, so her foresight was impressive.

However, it seemed she was still unaware that Isaac was essentially a heretic.

Or maybe she was blinded by infatuation.

‘The Golden Idol Guild is desperate.’

Leonora may have been boasting, but Isaac could see her true intent. Her display of achievements was ultimately a plea not to abandon the Golden Idol Guild.

In this age of rampant religious zeal, the Golden Idol Guild’s faith was the weakest among the major powers. To survive, they clung tightly to stronger faiths, striving not to be cast aside.

If the Codex of Light decided to cut ties with the Golden Idol Guild, it would be like severing an arm.

It was a symbiotic relationship, to put it lightly.

‘She may be a sociopath, but this is the only way the Golden Idol Guild can survive…’

“And there’s one more significant favor you’ve done for our guild, Sir Holy Grail Knight.”

Leonora’s voice softened as she turned her gaze toward Angela, who sat beside Caitlin like a doll.

“I’ve heard she’s a surviving child of the Selmon merchants. Such pitiful souls. We usually protect, sponsor, and invest in merchants, but when it comes to the Selmon traders… it’s hard to know how to safeguard them. Is earning money really so important that they’d leave their child behind?”

As Leonora’s eyes moistened while looking at Angela, Isaac felt a jarring sense of cognitive dissonance.

The same woman who blushed at the sight of a handsome knight and teared up over an orphaned child was supposedly the real Leonora?

But Isaac quickly grounded himself.

Leonora was the kind of person who could cry today and sign papers selling the children of debtors into slavery tomorrow.

“It’s a tragic occurrence in these maddening times.”

“Fortunately, after receiving Branch Manager Caitlin’s report, I did some checking and found that Angela has a great-aunt living in Bessia. The Selmon merchants occasionally gather, so they’ve probably met before.”

The news that Angela had living relatives brought Isaac an unexpected sense of relief. He hadn’t thought to search for any family, assuming all her kin were dead, but it was a small miracle in this insane era to find that she still had blood ties.

“Well… that’s fortunate.”

“Yes, it is. The Selmon merchants often support one another, given the dangerous nature of their trade. Even if she’s only a distant relative’s child, they’ll gladly adopt and care for her, so there’s no need to worry.”

Isaac felt a strange pang of regret but nodded in agreement.

They still hadn’t uncovered whatever secrets or knowledge Angela held, but that didn’t matter. The task of reclaiming the Holy Land belonged to priests, paladins, and angels—not a ten-year-old girl.

If there was anything left for Angela, it would be finding a lich from the Immortal Order to threaten into removing the death insurance and other curses on her.

Leonora, after all, wasn’t likely to sell Angela off somewhere after saying all this. Such a betrayal would earn Isaac’s wrath tenfold, so it was more likely she intended to do the opposite.

She would show Angela great kindness, keeping her close and supporting her to strengthen her bond with Isaac.

‘Not a bad outcome.’

To have the backing of a Holy Grail Knight and the support of the deputy leader of a major merchant guild was no small boon. For a mute girl, it was an exceptional environment in a harsh world. And with Isaac’s imminent departure on the expedition, sending Angela to her relatives was certainly preferable to leaving her behind in the Issacrea territory.

“I’ll be counting on you.”

Unlike his half-hearted refusals of the lavish gifts, Isaac genuinely entrusted Angela to Leonora with a sense of gratitude.

***

Leonora left with Angela the very same day.

Despite offers to stay the night, Leonora insisted on the urgency of guild matters and hurried away. Isaac repeatedly tried to decline the gifts Leonora had brought, but she left them behind with a flimsy excuse about the horses being too tired from carrying them.

Suddenly, Isaac found himself with a surplus of funds and sacred relics.

It should have been satisfying, but he couldn’t shake a feeling of emptiness.

‘Is it because of Angela?’

Isaac hadn’t spent much time bonding with the girl. Rescuing her had been an impulsive decision, and since then, he had only shuffled her from place to place, looking for someone to care for her. She couldn’t even speak, so they hadn’t exchanged many words.

‘It feels similar to the sense of loss when a pet goes missing…’

It dawned on Isaac that he knew almost nothing about Angela. She had filled a space for a while, but now she was gone, leaving only a void.

Isaac suddenly realized that he didn’t even know Angela’s real name.

‘Come to think of it, Angela isn’t her real name. It was given to her at the orphanage in Wulthenheim.’

Isaac bolted upright from his seat on the sofa.

‘…So what record did Leonora look at to find Angela’s relative?’

A chilling thought crept up his spine.

Without wasting another moment, Isaac dashed out of the monastery. He didn’t even have time to respond to Hesabel’s questions about what was going on.

Leonora’s party couldn’t have gotten far.

There was still time to undo this foolish mistake.

[To be continued in Paladin of the Dead God]