Chapter 32. Holy Grail Knight (1)
Relic.
Just like a miracle within a person is called a holy body, an object with a miracle is called a relic. But not all relics are the same.
The glowing stone necklace Isaac once owned was a lower-grade relic. But the sword before him now was in a different league.
It was an item to be preserved like a national treasure.
[The Rite of Division (EX)]
[The dagger used by Muhui in parting ways with the emperor, extracting his heart. Through this brutal ritual, one being split into two gods, hence the name Rite of Division. Usable in high rituals of the Red Chalice Club and the Elil Sect.]
This dagger gave rise to the Nine Faiths’ Red Chalice and Elil. Even objects blessed by angels are hard to value, but relics tied to gods are treasures managed by the sect.
‘There’s even a group like Holy Grail Knights searching for these relics…’
If a Grail Knight stumbled upon this sword, they’d be absolutely psyched.
Sure, as a weapon, this dagger didn’t hold much value. It was mainly used for rituals. But its true power shone through during those rituals. In order to pull off a badass miracle, you usually need a bunch of things.
Sacrifices, tons of prayers, potions, perfect timing, specific circumstances, and so on.
But with this dagger, a lot of those requirements could be tossed out the window.
‘Why the heck is this even here?’ Isaac couldn’t believe it.
Maybe Heinkel did more than just escort the Immortal Order; he might have helped out with the rituals too.
Almost without thinking, Isaac quickly hid the dagger.
If word got out that he had it, he’d have people coming after him. Especially those Wallachia hunters – they’d be on his tail nonstop.
It was an item that spelled trouble.
But Isaac wasn’t about to pass up this chance out of fear. A sneaky smile crept onto his face.
‘Heinkel, you really didn’t hold back.’
Isaac hoped that Heinkel was having a blast in the Red Chalice’s heaven, although he wasn’t sure if someone drained of blood could make it to heaven.
Suddenly, the sun rose over the valley. The morning light touched his hand, feeling nicer than ever.
***
“Lord Gebel, we’re almost there. Just a bit more…”
Gebel groaned as he moved forward. Heinkel’s attack seemed to be cursed deep, as his bleeding wouldn’t stop. Pale and slowing down, Gebel didn’t protest when Isolde pulled him along.
Gebel didn’t argue with Isolde, who had initially suggested leaving him behind and going to the Knight Order for help. She had been dragged along after knocking him on the head at dawn.
Then, Isolde suddenly stopped. Her face lit up as the sound of horses getting closer rhythmically echoed in the valley.
Dudu-du-du-du.
Around the bend in the valley, knights in shiny white armor on horseback thundered towards them, crushing gravel under their hooves.
At the head of the pack was a familiar knight, Rotenhammer, with a hammer as big as his head.
“Captain Rotenhammer!”
“Rotenhammer?”
Gebel muttered in surprise and quickly bowed his head. It was an awkward moment to meet him.
Rotenhammer stopped the Knight Order when he saw Isolde and Gebel. Only five knights had shown up, all armed to the teeth with different miracles and blessings. Rotenhammer removed his helmet, revealing a face with grey hair.
“I hurried over as soon as I got your message. Inquisitor, lieutenant! Help the wounded.”
Understanding the urgency, Rotenhammer skipped the pleasantries.
“Where are the heretics? We’ll go after them right away.”
“There were Wallachia hunters lying in wait. Duke Gulmar was with them.”
The mention of the Wallachia hunters caused a stir among the knights. Rotenhammer’s reaction was no different. He furrowed his brow for a moment before speaking.
“We were told to be on the lookout for the Immortal Order; we were ready for that. Seems like a lot has changed since then.”
Fighting undead skeletons and vampires that won’t stay dead requires different tactics. Isolde owned up to her recklessness, but if she hadn’t urgently called the Knight Order, they might have arrived too late.
“Will this be a problem?”
“No way.”
Rotenhammer put his helmet back on, saying..
“The sun is rising; they won’t be able to run away quickly. We’ll clean up the area and be back. Any members missing? Anyone lagging behind?”
Isolde winced at Rotenhammer’s question.
“A colleague stayed back to buy us some time.”
Rotenhammer went quiet.
Just as the sun rose, it was clear that the fate of their comrade left behind was sealed. Either turned into a mummy with no drop of blood left or turned into a ghoul addicted to the blood of the Red Grail.
In the latter case, it would be Rotenhammer’s job to end it.
Rotenhammer said calmly, “He was a brave lad.”
“A younger lad than me… I couldn’t stop him. Despite his youth, his amazing skills and miracles would have made him an outstanding Holy Knight…”
Isaac had never actually performed a miracle in front of Isolde, but in her mind, he was like an angel with extraordinary sword skills.
“His sword skills, his wisdom in healing the sick… His willingness to sacrifice, and that face as if touched by an angel, like a creation of light…”
Rotenhammer cleared his throat. Isolde realized she was holding up the knights with her words and signaled for them to leave.
They could mourn Isaac later.
But Rotenhammer stayed put, his gaze fixed on the valley.
“Inquisitor.”
“Yes?”
“Are you seeing that bloodied lad walking towards us as the heroic angel?”
***
After dealing with the Wallachia hunters and Heinkel all night, Isaac should have been exhausted, but surprisingly he felt fine. His vampire traits seemed to speed up his recovery, allowing him to leave the valley.
As he walked out, he was met by Holy Knights rushing towards him, their shining white armor reflecting the morning sun, protectors of the Codex of Light… His admiration changed as they surrounded him.
So much for the rough night.
But Isaac didn’t draw his sword or attack. He understood why they were doing this.
“Isaac?”
In the midst of the knights, an older knight said, “I’m Rotenhammer Luman from the Briant Knight Order. Are you hurt? Let’s chat and check for wounds.”
“Not my blood.”
Isaac raised his arms to show he was unharmed, but Rotenhammer’s expression turned serious.
“Sorry, I need to confirm something. Heard you led the Wallachia hunters all night to rescue the inquisitor. Did you drink blood?”
Being chased by Wallachia hunters in the valley was a feat even for an active Holy Knight. Rotenhammer doubted it could be done without a miracle.
The only way for Isaac to survive seemed to be joining the hunters.
“It’d be a lie to say I didn’t…”
“No.”
Isaac had separated himself from his actions before, even when eating a rat. He had drunk blood, but it was the tentacles, not him.
“If I were a vampire, would I dare walk so openly in the sunlight?”
The valley had both shady and sunny spots. Of course, if not a vampire, a blood-thirsty ghoul addicted to blood could walk under the sun. The knights hesitated to believe Isaac.
But Rotenhammer stared intensely at Isaac, who tried to appear as innocent as possible with bright, clear eyes.
Soon, Rotenhammer was howling with laughter that reverberated through the valley.
“Whoa, that ghoul wouldn’t stand a chance with that intense look!” Isaac thought he might have gone a bit overboard, but Rotenhammer was approaching with a grin on his face.
“Dude, surviving a night-long chase from those Wallachia hunters without a single scratch? Impressive stuff! Just like Miss Isolde said, a new hero is in the house.”
‘Miss Isolde?’ Did Isaac have some personal link with the Brant family? As Isaac pondered, Rotenhammer was busy giving instructions to the other knights.
“Hey, you two, make sure this young hero gets back safe and sound. He must be dead tired from roaming the valley all night.”
“Got it!”
“I’m gonna go hunt down those Wallachia hunters now and wipe them out. They bothered us the whole night, so now it’s payback time in broad daylight!”
Isaac kept to himself the fact that the hunters were already goners. Just managing to survive and lead them on was already big-time achievement. Tossing in the part about taking out Heinkel Gulmar too would just push it into the realm of the unbelievable.
“We’ll chat about your all-night adventures later, young hero. The Inquisitor is waiting for us, let’s bounce.”
***
“I had a feeling you’d be alright, Isaac.”
The first face Isaac saw was Gebel’s.
Gebel was chilling at the main camp of the Briant Knight Order. They seemed to have brought along about 10 knights, 50 rookies, and some backup troops. Most likely, they’d be working on search and setting up blockades, not charging into direct fights.
“Hey, you good?”
“Yeah, there was this awesome healer around.”
After getting rid of the curse, Gebel was looking way better, though the wound was pretty bad. He’d need some downtime to recover. Isaac checked out the bandaged injury on Gebel.
‘Darn tentacles.’
Great at killing and tearing up stuff, not so much at fixing wounds. Isaac’s healing powers came from his special talent, ‘The Dead God’s Innards.’
“So, where’s the Inquisitor lady at? Shouldn’t she be, I dunno, helping out or something?”
Isaac muttered, feeling a bit peeved that Isolde had taken off without even a simple thank you. He didn’t do it for praise, but still, it was kinda annoying.
“She got some basic patching up and then joined the search team to give info about those Wallachia hunters. The more fighters, the better. It’s pretty cool that she’s on board considering she walked all night like me.”
It wasn’t disrespect, just setting priorities straight. Looking back, it’d be a waste to have an Inquisitor playing nurse.
After summoning the fire beast and literally walking non-stop since yesterday morning, she should be wiped out. But hey, she was already geared up for another round of combat.
“All those Wallachia hunters? They’ve already been chomped up by those tentacles, so it’s all kinda pointless.”
“I’m relieved that Gebel made it out alive.”
“That’s the line you should be telling the dude who dodged Wallachia hunters all night long… Hm.”
Gebel coughed and took a deep breath.
Gazing at the tent’s roof, he spoke up.
“It’s out of the blue, but let me ask, Isaac. Just to double-check.”
Gebel gazed right at Isaac.
“Did you take out all those Wallachia hunters?”
Isaac almost tried to deny it.
But Gebel’s tone hinted that he already had a clue and was just testing the waters. So, as Isaac hesitated to reply, Gebel went on.
“And even Duke Gulmar?”
“…”
“Mind-blowing. How in the world did you… Nah, forget it. I won’t dig deeper.”
Gebel kept his lips sealed, staring at the ceiling with an intense look.
“Don’t bother asking how I know. When I heard you made it back in one piece, I knew those Wallachia hunters were history. Rotenhammer and the Inquisitor are likely on a wild goose chase in an empty valley by now.”
“Why do you think so?”
“It might sound a bit silly, but ever since the day you showed up at the monastery after surviving that attack by Calzen, I always had a feeling you had it in you,”
