Paladin of the Dead God

“If one condition could be met, it might just be possible.”

***

“A way to avoid the Lighthouse Keeper’s wrath?”

“Yes. Even if we shatter the Salt Desert and bring the sea back, it would dry up again quickly as long as that cursed sun remains in the sky. We can’t handle a ritual to oppose the Lighthouse Keeper as soon as we perform the Thirsty Feast. Is there any other way to keep the Lighthouse Keeper at bay?”

In truth, merely extinguishing the Cursed Sun would eventually eliminate the Salt Desert over a long period.

All they needed was to mobilize workers to dig a channel between the boundary of the sea and the Salt Desert. An enormous volume of seawater would pour in, filling the area off Miarma’s coast and dissolving the salt as it went.

Of course, it would take tens or even hundreds of years.

The critical issue, then, was how to safely extinguish the Cursed Sun.

Sadraza’s solution was simple.

“What? Then?”

Sadraza wriggled his tentacles and pointed at the ceiling.

“You probably noticed it as you entered the Fisherman’s House… This area is beyond the reach of the Cursed Sun’s heat. That’s because the Lighthouse Keeper has established a ‘lamp’ here based on the Fisherman’s House itself. It allows him to maintain it by drawing power from the house rather than from his own strength.”

Using the lingering energy of a trampled and scorched faith to uphold a curse—whether this was thriftiness or a masterful display of dominance was hard to tell. Regardless, this trick led Sadraza to discover a way to bypass that miracle.

“I plan to use the Lighthouse Keeper’s miracle. By expanding his ‘lamp’… I intend to envelop the Cursed Sun. I won’t need to cover it completely—just half will be enough. That way, the heat won’t reach this land or the sea.”

“Hm… So, instead of cleaning up the mess, you’re just hiding it out of sight.”

Beside him, Aidan gave Isaac a look, as if wondering why he’d use such a crass analogy, but Isaac didn’t mind. The important thing was whether others could understand it well enough.

Sadraza also nodded heavily in agreement.

“We can leave that ‘mess’ for the Caller to clean up once he returns.”

Isaac found Sadraza’s idea surprisingly plausible. It was a method Isaac hadn’t considered, but it had potential.

“Are you performing this separately from the Thirsty Feast ritual?”

“The ‘lamp’ draws its strength from the Fisherman’s House… so I can modify it myself.”

“It sounds workable. There’s potential.”

Suddenly, Sadraza leaned in closer.

Reyna, who had been standing some distance away, instinctively gripped her sword, but Lianne held her back.

Sadraza fixed his gaze on Isaac from so close that he could peer directly into his eyes.

“You really think there’s potential? Are you sure?”

“This is the ritual you’ve prepared for a thousand years, isn’t it? You should know better than anyone.”

“I… I don’t know. For a thousand years, I’ve had no one to exchange ideas with, no angel to seek counsel from, no god to command me. I just planned alone, imagined alone, simply thinking about what I could do with what I had.”

There was a profound bitterness in Sadraza’s words.

Everyone he had known was either dead or gone; his country and faith lay in ruins; his god had fallen silent; everything had turned to a wasteland, and he had gradually transformed into an octopus-like being. To call what he felt mere ‘loneliness’ would be an understatement.

Yet after nearly a thousand years, someone had finally told him, “There is potential.”

This alone stirred emotions in Sadraza beyond simple joy.

“Then, do we simply need to help with the Thirsty Feast ritual?”

“Yes. But are you truly going to help me? Why would you…?”

For Isaac, whose primary goal was to reclaim the Holy Land as swiftly as possible, this was a ‘distraction.’ Any commander in his place would have grumbled about getting tangled up in an unnecessary sidetrack.

But Isaac spoke resolutely.

“I made a promise. That’s all there is to it.”

***

“That’s not the whole truth. I wouldn’t leave you stranded in this barren wasteland over a personal promise alone.”

Isaac had set up the commanders’ tent in a building that looked like some sort of administrative hall. After returning from the Fisherman’s House, he gathered the allied commanders there to inform them of what had transpired during his meeting with Sadraza.

Aidan looked skeptical at Isaac’s words, but the other commanders were curious. Tuhalin was the first to ask.

“Then why did you agree to assist with that ritual?”

“The primary reason is that his plan is grounded in practicality. If it had been outlandish, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance. But if we can avoid incurring the Lighthouse Keeper’s wrath and help the Salt Council regain its full power, we’ll have gained another powerful ally.”

Isaac glanced between Tuhalin and Edelred as he spoke.

“Of course, I consider each of you valuable allies, but wouldn’t it be worth it to secure the title ‘Savior of a God’? Especially if the risk level isn’t particularly high?”

Tuhalin smirked, nodding his head.

“I’m not exactly lacking in accomplishments, but that’s an enticing feat. However, that’s not your only reason, is it? What else?”

“Transforming Miarma into a port city would be a major strategic advantage for us.”

The biggest vulnerability of the Issacrea Dawn Army was the lack of an escape route or supply line.

While a Salt Council ship had been stationed beyond the Salt Desert, it was impossible to cross the desert without a large force, and any attempt to cross risked death.

But if they could bring ships directly to Miarma, it would make supplies and retreats far easier, significantly boosting the army’s morale.

Edelred, too, nodded in understanding. Despite the slight delay, he agreed it was a cause worth supporting.

“Is there anything else?”

“There is, but… it’s not confirmed yet, so it’s hard to say. It’s a plan with too many variables.”

“You’re as secretive and adventurous as ever, Commander. So, what would you have us do?”

“There is an important role I need you to play. You’ll have to act swiftly.”

Isaac warned them with a serious tone.

“We must deceive Sadraza. We need to make him believe the ritual is proceeding smoothly.”

“What?”

Tuhalin asked in surprise, his voice rising. The others looked equally shocked. As murmurs started to fill the room, Aidan stepped forward, as if determined to be the one to explain this part.

“I’ll explain. I trust Sadraza’s words and find them credible. However, with him as the sole leader of the ritual, we would be entrusting much of our plan to someone we only met a few hours ago.”

“…That’s true.”

“I have no desire to betray him, but neither do I wish to gamble recklessly with the lives of our allies. In short, we want to prepare a safeguard.”

Isaac nodded at Aidan’s words, continuing the explanation.

“If everything proceeds smoothly according to the agreement, Sadraza will get what he desires. But if he betrays us…”

Isaac glanced at Aidan as he finished his sentence.

“…he will lose everything.”

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