“The abbot had a ssage for you.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, I’m not sure what it ans, so I’ll just tell you as it was told to . ‘If you walk through a confusing night, focus only on the distant lantern and move forward.’ …That’s what he said.”
Tuhalin scoffed, muttering under his breath.
“Old n are always like this. They mutter grandiose proverbs, expecting the listener to figure out what it all ans on their own.”
Compared to Tuhalin’s age, even Evhar was practically an infant, but the straightforward dwarf wasn’t one to appreciate cryptic sayings. Isaac shared Tuhalin’s sentint to so degree, but he couldn’t help but ponder Evhar’s intentions.
‘Gebel knew I ate rats. He didn’t know why or for what purpose, but he knew. Maybe Evhar also realized that I wasn’t an ordinary being.’
After all, Evhar had tried to test Isaac with the miracle of “Proof of Faith” and lost his hand for it. He must have known Isaac wasn’t just a regular person, but had he also realized that Isaac wasn’t a model follower of the Codex of Light?
There was no way to know Evhar’s thoughts now.
But it seed clear that he wished for Isaac to walk the path “focusing only on the light, no matter what dark road he walked.”
‘I suppose I pieced it together well enough.’
Isaac interpreted Evhar’s advice in this way and helped Tuhalin’s army settle into place.
The army dispatched from the World’s Forge set up camp outside the outskirts of Odryf. Their numbers weren’t large, but it was best to keep a heavily ard force outside the city to avoid intimidating the people of the trade city.
The second army to arrive was Elil’s forces.
Edelred was surprised to see Tuhalin had arrived before him, but he couldn’t deny the reality in front of him. Through Edelred, Isaac learned more about the Dawn Army of Ciero.
“Ciero has been incorporated into the Dawn Army?”
“That’s right. I heard they’re recruiting new soldiers, similar to an enlistnt officer. The scattered remnants of the Ciero Dawn Army have all regrouped under the banner of the main force. It’s good news, isn’t it?”
As a mber of the White Empire alliance, Edelred sincerely congratulated them. The soldiers had escaped incompetent leadership and joined a larger, stronger army. Ciero also avoided harsh punishnt and even gained a position, so it all looked like good news.
But Isaac could see the deeper truth.
‘So they’ve caught him, after all.’
Isaac had hoped that Ciero would hinder the main Dawn Army, but it seed that possibility was gone. Now, he could already see Ciero’s future—singing the Codex of Light’s propaganda like a canary trapped in a cage.
‘It’s unfortunate, but it was probably his only option after being captured. If he had tried to resist, he might have been killed, and the ragtag remnants of the Dawn Army could have been crushed. Marching with the larger army might be his best chance of survival…’
Looking on the bright side, it also ant the Immortal Order would have to devote more forces to deal with the main Dawn Army, which would relieve the pressure on Isaac’s Issacrea Dawn Army.
Isaac still didn’t like Ciero, but he found himself curious to see how he would fare after so ti had passed. The last ti they t, Ciero had shown so signs of wanting to change. Isaac wondered if that spark would have died out or if it still burned within him.
The last to arrive was the Issacrea Paladin Order, led by Commander Rottenhamr. Rottenhamr clicked his tongue when he saw the other armies had already set up camp, but he accepted it without complaint.
From the start, Rottenhamr hadn’t prioritized speed.
Instead, he focused on gathering scattered imperial troops, retired paladins, and priests along the way. As a result, his forces had grown considerably by the ti they arrived.
“Don’t worry about their skill or character. They said they would rather rally under the banner of the Holy Grail Knight than follow incompetent commanders.”
Rottenhamr introduced the newly joined paladins and knights. Isaac warmly shook each of their hands, expressing his gratitude for their decision to join.
“Thank you all so much. Your presence will be a great help.”
Among them were retired paladins, priests disillusioned with the Order, and knights who had lost their lords. Their armor and equipnt were mismatched, and their insignias weren’t uniform, making them look more like a rcenary band than a proper order. Compared to them, even the deserter Gebel barely stood out.
But Isaac was genuinely thrilled by their arrival.
What Isaac lacked was legitimacy as a Paladin of the Codex of Light.
Though he was gathering forces under the broad banner of the White Empire, his army was essentially a coalition of foreigners and heretics. The more paladins and priests of the Codex of Light that joined, the better.
Especially those discontent with the Church.
***
‘They’ve arrived in the order I expected.’
Isaac ntally ranked and organized the forces based on their arrival and strength.
The strongest among them was Tuhalin. Isaac knew that if he were to face Tuhalin one-on-one, the outco would be uncertain. And since this wasn’t technically an army of the Codex of Light but rather the White Empire Alliance, it made sense for a non-Codex follower like Tuhalin to be in a leadership role, such as a deputy commander.
With Tuhalin’s experience, he wasn’t a bad choice as a chief strategist or commander. He was also old enough that he could diate conflicts with other faiths.
Of course, it would be a problem if Tuhalin’s fiery temper flared up, but for now, Isaac was content.
‘Good. Now that things are in place, it’s ti to move on to the next step.’
There was a reason Isaac had co south while the main Dawn Army moved east. It was ti to move to the next phase.
But Isaac’s plans didn’t proceed as smoothly as he had hoped.
An unexpected ssage ca his way.
“Isaac.”
One day, Gebel urgently sought out Isaac.
“The Inquisitors are looking for you. Soone nad Soltnar Culvain.”
Isaac felt a wave of déjà vu. But this ti, unlike before, he sensed that events were moving in a far more ominous direction.
A flock of ravens cawed fiercely in the skies above Odryf.
TL Note: Read s Here – /Akaza156
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