Chapter 37: The Holy Grail Knight (6)
[Switching to Grail Knight class in progress.]
[May the gods watch over your noble quest.]
[You now have the ‘Noble Journey’ perk.]
[Physical and faith abilities up by 30%.]
[Perk gets stronger against bigger challenges.]
The notifications flooded in as Isaac transitioned to a Grail Knight.
Isaac was blown away by the 30% boost in his abilities just by leveling up. The perks promised to grow even more in tough situations, setting the bar.
‘Seems like the rite division plays a part.’
Owning an EX-grade holy relic, a rare find even in games, seemed to amplify the buff’s effects. Isaac looked forward to stacking more relics to boost his power even more.
“So, what’s the plan now, our Grail Knight?”
After the knighting ceremony, Rotenhammer and the Briant Knight Order headed back to base, leaving Gebel and Isolde behind.
Isaac took a moment before answering.
“For now, I’m thinking of checking out this area before making my way up north.”
“The North? Visiting the Kingdom of Elil might be a solid idea.”
The roots of the Grail Knights traced back to the Kingdom of Elil, with the “Grail” symbolizing Elil’s Heart stolen by the “Red Chalice Club.”
After King Elil ascended, his successors got super obsessed with finding the stolen Grail known as “Elil’s Heart.” Tons of Grail Knights went on wild quests to track it down for various reasons, but the sneaky thief behind it made a whole secret deal of it among the common folk, keeping the Grail hidden forever.
But hey, the adventures of these Grail Knights left behind all these crazy achievements and legends. The Grail has become more than just a fancy relic—it’s now this big symbol of faith. That’s why the Codex of Light is really into Grail Knights.
The Elil Kingdom is all about supporting Grail Knights, and some seriously big names have come out of there, which is why Gebel was like, “Let’s check it out, dude.”
“I was thinking, maybe we should roll up with a little something to get a warmer welcome, you know?” Isaac suggested.
In reality, Isaac’s “Rite of Division” relic was a big deal for the Red Chalice Club and the Elil Church. It was the actual knife used to jack Elil’s heart after all.
Having a relic soaked in a god’s blood would definitely cause a ruckus if Isaac spilled the beans, but he was keeping that info to himself for now.
“The reward is cool and all, but I can’t be lugging it around forever,” he thought.
For Isaac, gearing up to handle the upcoming Dawn Army in two years was his main focus. And for that, using the division ritual directly made more sense than any cash prize.
“Rotenhammer mentioned a sweet relic up north. I’m gonna start my search there first,” Isaac shared.
“Sounds like a plan,” Gebel responded.
In reality, Rotenhammer hadn’t mentioned squat; Isaac was already in the know. It was the closest relic around these parts.
If Isaac’s sources were on point, the hidden ruin should be ripe for the picking.
“But hey, things might be different by the time the Dawn Army kicks off,” he mused.
Gebel let out a big sigh and peered at Isaac, who suddenly seemed to have aged a bunch in such a short span.
“You seem all set, so I don’t have much else to add,” Gebel noted.
“I’m seriously thankful for all your help,” Isaac replied.
“Don’t mention it. Just take this along,” Gebel insisted, passing over his knight gear to Isaac. Isaac tried to decline, but Gebel wouldn’t have it.
“These are real deal knight stuff. They’re a bit worn out, but they still do the job,” Gebel explained.
“I really don’t need this…” Isaac protested.
“For the knight’s honor, not for you. You can’t be wandering around looking like a scrub when you’re a Grail Knight. You gotta at least rock some basic armor,” Gebel pointed out.
Isaac thought the armor would be way too big for him, given their size difference. But as he put it on, it magically adjusted to fit him perfectly, like it was made just for him.
“It’s like it was made for me,” Isaac marveled.
“This isn’t some magic trick; it’s master craftsmanship from the best forgers in the land. And you could use a decent sword too…” Gebel remarked.
Isaac was prone to breaking swords left and right, so he was totally sword-less at this point. Sure, the Rite of Division was a killer sword, but it was far too valuable to swing around carelessly.
“Hey, happy to lend you my sword.”
Isolde then stepped up, pulling out her cool ‘Sword of Judgment.’
Isaac and Gebel were totally surprised by her move.
“Wait, isn’t that Inquisitor gear?”
“Yeah, it was marked as lost. I’m just borrowing it, not giving it away.”
Isolde said with a sly grin.
“A Grail Knight will sooner or later swing by the Order to return this cool relic. When that happens, we’ll cross paths again. By then, you might have an even snazzier sword, and you can trade it back with me.”
The Sword of Judgment was already a pretty sweet find in the game. Getting a sword to top that would mean Isaac was really making waves.
“Can’t have a renowned Grail Knight like you roaming around without a weapon.”
“Thanks, appreciate it.”
Isaac didn’t hesitate like Gebel. He wasn’t too fussed about the armor, but the Sword of Judgment was a top pick. It was also a badge of honor within the Order. Having any trouble with the Order? Whip out the Sword of Judgment and watch issues vanish.
Isolde then leaned in to whisper to Isaac.
“So, what’s Gebel’s call?”
Isaac remembered Isolde’s offer. Gebel had the chance to return as a knight and restore his honor. Isaac talked it over with Gebel, but surprise, surprise, Gebel turned it down.
The reason was simple.
“Gebel’s all about the Avalanche Knight Order. Doesn’t want to bail.”
“Ah, got it. Figured as much.”
Isolde gave a wry smile.
For Gebel to shake off the heretic tag, he’d have to throw the Avalanche Knight Order under the bus. And he’d have to swear off the organization.
But Gebel wasn’t up for that. To him, the Avalanche Knight Order were just innocent bystanders.
“Maybe one day, Gebel’s true story will come out. You can’t hide forever when you’re meant to shine.”
Isolde had to play it neutral given her position. Isaac agreed with her, though.
After all, Isaac knew Gebel wouldn’t be a monastery dweller forever.
Because Gebel would be on Isaac’s team when the Dawn War kicks off.
***
Isolde reported back to the Order, Gebel went back to the monastery, and Isaac had asked Gebel to say his goodbyes to the monks for him.
Leaving the monastery wasn’t that sudden.
‘I was ready to split anyway.’
Isaac was set to go even before Isolde showed up. Her visit just made the exit smoother. He didn’t have much stuff, and he didn’t need food thanks to his powers.
‘Time to hit the road.’
He had waited for this moment, but leaving brought some nerves. Still, he tried to stay upbeat. After all, he gained a new power that was a game-changer.
Becoming a Grail Knight meant way more than just stat boosts.
[The ‘Lighthouse of Watcher (EX)’ conditions have been met and activated.]
Isaac recalled a message that popped up after his class change.
The long elusive Lighthouse of Watcher was finally accessible.
‘Predation typically gives basic abilities. So, Calzen must’ve been a big deal to have this one.’
”
Why on earth would such a holy being decide to go rogue was beyond me. And let’s not forget, the Watcher’s Lighthouse was basically one of the top-tier miracles you could find in the Codex of Light. Like, Calzen’s birth must have been some kind of divine or angelic plan, right?
But hey, you know what? None of that really matters in the grand scheme of things.
What really counts is that the super cool ultimate ability of “the very Calzen” had now found its way into his body.
In the game, the Lighthouse of Watcher was all about being this awesome defensive skill. It made you practically invincible for a while and gave you some pretty sweet buff abilities.
But you know, the backstory was totally different.
It was like, “The Watcher is this big-shot who keeps chaos in check, and the Lighthouse is the one bright light in a world of darkness, symbolizing stability in a crazy world. Or something like that, you get the gist.”
With all these fancy explanations, it was hard to wrap your head around how it would actually work.
Isaac, now the proud owner of this ultimate ability, didn’t want to mess up using it. He didn’t want to accidentally cause trouble by not knowing what it really did.
So, he took a deep breath and activated the Lighthouse of Watcher’s power.
In an instant, his eyes lit up with a blazing light.
***
The valley that the Knight Order had wrecked looked pretty spooky. With no need to worry about innocent bystanders, it was just a mess of scorched rocks and debris from all the miracles.
And as the fog crept in, three figures in hunter outfits showed up: two big hunters towering nearly 2 meters tall each, and a little girl barely reaching their waists.
While the hunters were busy surveying the chaos left behind by the knights, the girl was on her own mission.
She was on the hunt for blood traces.
In this valley, vampires had met their end. But the blood she was after was different; it didn’t just disappear at dawn like regular vampire blood. It stuck around.
Suddenly, she halted in the middle of the valley.
Digging around the ground, she found what she was looking for, her hand coming back up covered in red. She had found a short sword buried in the earth.
The sword melted away as she held it, reabsorbed into her hand.
“It’s Elil’s blood, no doubt about it. The Rite of division must have gone down here.”
The hunters shared a worried glance. One of them cautiously spoke up, “Could it be Duke Heinkel…?”
“Nope. Looks like my uncle is out of the picture. He was taken out by someone. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like he went all rogue like my dad feared…”
Continuing her search, she plunged her hands into the earth and found something unusual.
“What’s this?” she questioned, clearly puzzled.
“Find something?” one of the hunters asked.
“Nope. Not dragged away or turned to ash. Devoured. Right here, in this very spot.”
