Chapter 460: Return (5)
Al Theodore's thorough plan was utterly shattered as soon as the Codex of Light, having sensed something was amiss, intervened. Afterwards, the Codex of Light Church began sending pursuit teams as soon as Isolde, a 'person of interest,' left the Issacrea estate.
Those were the Millennium Brotherhood, who served as the lowest-level observers and enforcers throughout the Millennium Kingdom.
The very same hoodlum thugs that Isaac had met.
"...So, the scale of those thug groups is that large?"
"After the Millennium Kingdom, the Codex of Light Order poured all of its remaining combat personnel into that area. To become a newly Scorched One or to gain enlightenment... I mean, to get glass eyeballs, you have to start there. Now, only those who are Scorched Ones can take charge of an organization."
It seemed to be a new form of the Dawn Army.
An armed group that the Codex of Light Order could freely control. An organization with a strict hierarchy to the point where even Paladins were treated as mere 'commoners' in front of Scorched Ones.
"The Millennium Brotherhood rushed in from all directions. The Dawn Prayer Meeting priests who were traveling with me scattered to lure and disperse the troops. Only I and Death Knights from Commander Linde's group arrived."
She said that and handed the Book of the Nameless Worm to Isaac.
"And after arriving here, I started calling you. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know rituals, prayers, or miracles. I just had a vague belief that you might answer."
Isolde then chuckled and said,
"And then you really appeared. Like an angel answering a prayer."
Isaac took Isolde's hand instead of the Book of the Nameless Worm.
"You called me, into this world."
Isolde's face turned red.
Isaac felt her heart beating. His own heart was already beating at a similar speed, so it felt like the two hearts were touching skin and colliding.
The night breeze was good.
Good enough to enjoy a quiet celebration party for just the two of them.
***
"Commander Linde!"
The next day, in the morning. Isaac went in front of the undead group and suddenly called Linde.
Isaac couldn't find beauty in skeletons like the undead. He couldn't even tell how they were different.
In other words, Isaac didn't even know who Linde was.
The Death Knights exchanged glances with bewildered expressions.
The answer came from behind.
[Hmm, our rookie. I was going to surprise you, but it seems like Isolde already told you?]
Linde, not wearing armor or even clothes, appeared on the rooftop of the ruin.
Isaac didn't know if the concept of 'naked' even applied to the undead, but in any case, most of the undead wore clothes or armor like living people. But when her bare skeleton was revealed, he felt a little embarrassed.
"What are you doing?"
[I was drying my bones. If you wear armor, the cold air coming from inside and the heat from outside collide and cause moisture. Then mold grows on the pretty skeleton. It also causes problems with durability.]
In terms of health and beauty purposes, it didn't seem that different from humans sunbathing.
She said as if complaining.
[When the Emperor disappeared, most of the cold air that covered the Empire disappeared. So, if I don't manage myself well, even a healthy body will be damaged. I'll have to find clothes that ventilate well or give up armor.]
Isaac felt like he was going crazy listening to the undead's hygiene and beauty, so he hurriedly changed the subject.
Fortunately, Isaac knew a story that Linde would be interested in.
"I came to tell you about the Immortal Emperor anyway."
[Oho. What is it?]
Linde pulled her cloak over her body with a serious look.
"Before I tell you, I have something to ask. Who did you hear about me from? Who told you and Al Theodore that 'the Holy Grail Knight and the Immortal Emperor are related'?"
It was an important matter. The Immortal Emperor had threatened to kill Isaac if he went down the wrong path while monitoring him from the inside. He didn't know if that was possible or just a bluff, but Isaac hadn't told this fact to anyone.
At Isaac's question, Linde scratched her chin with her fingertips as if she was thinking.
[To be exact, I heard that 'the Immortal Emperor resides inside the soul of the Holy Grail Knight'.]
"...Who said that?"
[The Archangel Dead December.]
The only Archangel left in the Immortal Order.
That warden, who hadn't moved even inside the Gehenna Prison Fortress even during the fall of the Holy Land Lua, seemed to have seen the world from hundreds of meters underground.
With the Immortal Emperor, as well as all the other Archangels, annihilated, Dead December would have almost the position of the highest priest of the Immortal Order.
But that recluse didn't seem to enjoy his current position. Perhaps that was why he had planned to 'rescue' the Immortal Emperor from Isaac.
Isaac decided to tell the Immortal Emperor's message first before Linde said, 'I'm going to cut open your stomach and take out the Immortal Emperor.'
"I see. Dead December is right. The Immortal Emperor is inside me."
Before he knew it, other Death Knights had come to Isaac's side. Isaac continued to speak confidently, as if to have them hear as well.
"I challenged the Immortal Emperor and won. With the authority of the victor, I ate the Immortal Emperor. But that was what the Immortal Emperor intended."
[....Intended?]
"The Immortal Emperor volunteered to be my observer inside me."
Even with those shocking words, Linde and the Death Knights quietly listened to the words.
"The Immortal Emperor swore to cut open my body and bring death at any time if he saw me going astray. If I tried to ruin the world, or tear it down. I was exempted from death in return."
[Hmph.......]
Linde quietly stared at Isaac.
The Death Knights didn't make a sound.
Originally, the undead didn't express much emotion. Those who made interjections like 'Hmph' or 'Oho' were mostly those who were talking to humans, or those who couldn't break the habits they had when they were alive. They could communicate and tell stories with accurate meanings through mental waves.
But Isaac knew just by the fact that this silence was prolonged how shocked they were and how loudly they were discussing.
Isaac, who had thrown a bomb that could shake the Immortal Order, intended to manipulate them with this problem, no matter how Linde judged it.
"That also means that I am the Immortal Emperor's successor."
[........What?]
Linde asked again with a thick emotion, as if she had never heard such absurd words in her life or death.
"Isn't that so? The Immortal Emperor left his last will only to me, and said that he would watch over my will. Anyone can see that this is succession, right?"
[It sounds as absurd as saying that the murderer of the Emperor is the successor to the throne.]
"Hmm, alright. It seems like you don't understand, so I'll explain it again. The Immortal Emperor said that if I insulted his will, he would tear me apart and kill me at any time and show himself to the world. In other words, the fact that I'm still alive and well means that I'm not only faithfully following the Immortal Emperor's will, but also that he recognizes all of my authority, destiny, and statements, doesn't it?"
It was sophistry that even the Immortal Emperor, who was sleeping in Isaac's stomach, would jump up and ask what nonsense he was talking about, but Linde didn't have any words to deny.
First of all, Isaac was the only one who watched the Immortal Emperor's last moments. And the fact that the Immortal Emperor's soul was inside Isaac was also confirmed through Dead December and Isaac himself.
Therefore, there was nothing that Linde, as well as Al Theodore, could do now.
Was she going to cut open Isaac's stomach and take out the Immortal Emperor? That was close to an indirect suicide attempt, and if Isaac's words were true, it could be an act of insulting the Immortal Emperor's will.
While the Death Knights' discussion became heated, Linde laughed.
[Haha.]
She fluttered her cloak and approached, standing in front of Isaac.
Whether it was because he had obtained a large body as he returned to the world, Linde was tall enough to look down on Isaac. But she lowered her gaze and knelt on one knee in front of Isaac and said.
[Immortal Emperor, may you live forever.]
'Did I persuade her?'
Linde continued with a joking tone.
[I don't know how comfortable that throne made of blood and flesh is, but you've suffered for a long time, so I won't be sad even if you take a rest for a while. Since this friend can't be 'immortal', he'll definitely come back for us someday.]
"Hmm."
Linde raised Isaac's hand and put her cold teeth on the back of his hand and continued.
[Until that day comes, I and my Knight Order will forget rest and protect your throne. Still, it's fortunate that it's a pretty throne that's pleasing to the eyes.]
It wasn't so much a true oath of allegiance as it was being treated as the Immortal Emperor's resting armchair, but it was a great benefit to have Linde and the Death Knights under her control. In particular, the fact that he had won over Linde suggested the possibility of attracting Al Theodore or other remaining forces of the Immortal Order in the future.
'If the Codex of Light Church has become that powerful, I have no choice but to increase my power even more.'
The fact that the first power was the Immortal Order was ironic to Isaac, who was the top contributor to the Dawn Army. But it didn't seem like that to the undead.
They had already committed at least one act of apostasy at the point of becoming undead, and serving superiors with different religions was a common occurrence.
Linde pointed out that point.
[Rookie... no, Regent. I swore allegiance to the Regent, but the Immortal Order is undergoing an unprecedented and fierce division. Therefore, I'm not sure if others will respect the Regent's authority.]
Linde, who couldn't bring herself to call Isaac an armchair outright, decided on a plausible title for him called 'Regent'.
"I guess so. I don't intend to get the support of everyone."
[Yes, but it would be good to get the support of the forces led by Al Theodore.]
"I heard they scattered while coming to the Holy Land Lua. Where are they now?"
[If they escaped safely, they would have gone to Gehenna.]
"....."
In other words, to be recognized by the majority of the undead, he had to either defeat or win over Dead December, the only remaining Archangel.
Isaac, who had already defeated Immortal Order Archangels several times, didn't feel afraid now, but the problem was that the place where Dead December was was the Gehenna Prison Fortress.
That place was a giant trap, a snare, and a labyrinth. One that Dead December had designed obsessively for a long time, even throwing his own body into it.
It was a difficult matter to answer immediately.
Not because it was difficult, but because it was only a matter of time before his return was known. He didn't want to waste too much time on this matter.
While Isaac was contemplating an answer, Linde suddenly asked a question.
[By the way, there was something I wanted to ask the Regent.]
"What is it?"
[What happened to Gebel? I didn't see him when I went to the Issacrea estate. Did he die in battle? If you know where his body is buried, we can make him an undead.]
Isaac was horrified by the other-worldly idea, but Linde acted as if she was saying, 'What's the problem with favorite knights continuing to be knighted together?'
Fortunately, Isaac didn't have to lie.
"......Gebel, um, died in battle in the Holy Land Lua. His body was burned without a trace by the Lighthouse Keeper."
[Ah, is that so? But his soul would still be there, is he refusing to revive?]
"Can we stop this story...?"
Isaac deliberately showed an unpleasant attitude and distanced himself.
If Gebel's traces were still left, Isaac wanted to find them too. But Gebel burned completely without leaving behind even a single sword or a pair of gloves. Since heaven had been torn apart, his soul might have come down to earth as well, but a soul that couldn't even find a body...
At that moment, Isaac turned his head with a flashing intuition.
Isaac could feel the worshipers of Nameless Chaos, the worshipers of the Issacrea Dawn Prayer Meeting. It was difficult to grasp individual characteristics, but strong souls or subordinates could be distinguished to some extent.
And a familiar, faintly burning soul was caught in his senses. Isaac realized that the soul was strong and was being protected by another soul that was also somewhat familiar.
As if possessed, Isaac raised his finger toward the direction where that energy was felt.
"What's over there?"
Linde stared at his fingertip as if puzzled and asked.
[The sea?]
"Beyond that?"
[Beyond that, there's White Sand Beach, and beyond that... there's Gehenna Fortress.]
Isaac sensed it after hearing Linde's answer.
Gebel is with the Sword of May. In the basement of the Gehenna Fortress Prison.