Chapter 54. We’re Cool with Your Debt (2)
“I bounced back quicker than I thought.”
Isaac, peering down at the Seor market from his spot, noticed it was bouncing back to life pretty fast.
As a hub for business, with a big shoutout to the Golden Idol Guild stepping up, merchants were getting back on their feet. Sure, the guild took a hit due to an insider mess-up, but no one else was to blame.
And at the heart of the gossip was Isaac.
Lots of folks caught a glimpse of what went down in the market that night when the Loracus chaos began as Isaac went after Yukhar. The full scoop on what Isaac did wasn’t out there, but word was he nabbed those ‘rotten’ black market traders making Loracus spiral and saved merchants from going bust.
But the stories didn’t stop there.
There were whispers of an ancient god making a comeback, vampires from the Red Chalice Club popping up, and more. Even though these tales sounded wild, tying them to a “Grail Knight” gave them some street cred.
In rough times, folks were craving feel-good tales.
“For merchants, being ‘rescued’ from shady deals by a noble Grail Knight beats admitting they got greedy.”
Deciding to stick with the Grail Knight narrative instead of facing their mistakes was a way to dodge responsibility, but it was good news for Isaac. His heroic deeds were now becoming legendary across the land.
“Hmm?”
Something snagged Isaac’s attention. A dapper nobleman strolled through the market with a squad of riders, making their way to the Golden Idol Guild. Seeing this, Isaac grinned.
“Looks like it’s showtime.”
Isaac packed up and gave a signal to Hesabel, who was waiting nearby.
The wooden planks on the ceiling slid open, and Hesabel popped down, looking a bit dazed.
“Do you always nap there?”
“It’s the one spot where I can snooze without interruptions and sunlight bothering me…”
Being a vampire, Hesabel was a night owl. Though she could venture out during the day with care, like the Wallachia hunters, her daytime moves were limited.
“Need anything? The order’s stuff is humming along.”
Hesabel had been busy handling the budding Order of Nameless Chaos and keeping an ear out for rumors at night.
The ‘order’, riding on Isaac’s fame, was spreading like wildfire by word of mouth. Sticking to its mystery, the Order of Nameless Chaos had no official name.
“For now, it might look like some offshoot of the Codex of Light…”
No plans were in place to spill the beans on its true nature.
Isaac intended to keep this order wrapped up tight within the Codex of Light. In the real world, this kind of thing happens a lot. Religious groups often split over small differences in beliefs.
—
Think about how many branches there are in big religions like Christianity or Islam.
“I don’t really need anything, just get ready. We’re heading out soon.”
“Finally.”
No questions asked, Hesabel disappeared into the ceiling. She seemed really on edge about staying in Seor. But hey, she’s happy to be leaving, for whatever reason.
Knock, knock.
And then, the expected visitor showed up.
“Hey Lord Isaac, if you’re not too busy, I’ve got a big favor to ask…”
Caitlin, noticing that Isaac was all packed and geared up, had a mixed look on her face. Isaac gave her a genuinely apologetic look.
“Well, that’s inconvenient. I was just about to take off from Seor.”
—
Of course, Isaac had no plans of actually leaving.
But poor Caitlin, clueless to the situation, barely managed to convince him to take her to the Guild.
Inside the Guild’s reception room, there was that nobleman Isaac had seen around the market earlier. He was pretty jittery about meeting Isaac, a guy even the head of the Golden Idol Guild had trouble inviting.
The nobleman stepped forward and introduced himself to Isaac.
“I’m Count Coben Reinhardt. Wishing you all the best on your journey, Sir Knight.”
“I’m Isaac.”
Isaac was pretty happy with how the count was acting.
“Looks like I’ve got a bit of influence after all.”
—
The dynamics between nobles and knightly orders, especially those focused on holy causes like the Grail Knights, are pretty complicated. In the Gerthonia Empire, where the Codex of Light is the state religion, the church holds a ton of power, but the Emperor’s authority is no joke either.
Normally, the Emperor is seen as more of a figurehead, granted power ‘temporarily’ by the divine. But this current Emperor, he’s seen as something special, blessed as a sacred figure himself.
Is a sacred being, directly chosen by the divine, more important? Or are the priests, wielding divine power, the real heavyweights?
It’s a tricky situation.
As a result, there’s this subtle power play between the nobility, loyal to the Emperor and his military strength, and the Grail Knights, devoted to the church.
But for now, Count Reinhardt finds himself in the spot of having to convince a ‘Grail Knight getting back to his noble quest’ to come with him. Little did he know, this kind of put him in a lower position compared to Isaac.
“Maybe I can swallow my pride a bit, but man, it sucks to have to kneel to someone who just got lucky with birth.”
Securing such a position can really change the game in ‘negotiations.’
The nobleman with the fancy mustache, Reinhardt, spoke first, trying to set a positive vibe for the talk.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about your heroic deeds, Sir Grail Knight. You basically sorted out that whole Seor mess on your own.”
“Just following the path laid out by whatever’s up there.”
Technically, it was just following a status update, but hey, divine guidance is divine guidance, right?
“You’re being humble. But from what I’ve picked up on my way here, you’ve been way more than just a regular traveler.”
Isaac listened as Reinhardt talked, trying to figure out where this was all going. The way Reinhardt described Isaac’s rumored adventures was kinda surprising.
Shadows of a crazy deity pulling the strings in Seor… Regular folks caught up in the chaos… Merchants duped into buying Loracus that’s as addictive as a drug, putting the harvest in jeopardy.
And then, out of nowhere, a Grail Knight showed up to take down the evil deity.
After a fierce battle that foiled the deity’s wicked plans, the desperate deity tried one last trick to spread madness and fear in Seor. But then, the Grail Knight, shining bright like a beacon, stepped in to set things right.
“Merchants came to their senses, bowed down, and finally defeated the evil deity. Plus, you generously shared your riches to help the suffering and the hurt.”
Isaac looked away, acting like it was no big deal. While the main points weren’t entirely wrong, the story painted the Grail Knight as a noble hero rather than someone dabbling in risky investments to take down the deity. In truth, Isaac’s foes were just scoundrels and broke merchants, and the “riches” he gave away originally belonged to Yukhar.
And he was the one who gained the most from the whole mess.
‘Well, as long as things turned out alright, the nitty-gritty details of the tale don’t matter much.’
As Isaac pretended to not care, Reinhardt took his silence as modesty and clasped his hands together respectfully.
“Yes, I get it – merchants love to spice up stories with all sorts of drama. Honestly, I tried to make a profit too and ended up losing. But the more I heard, the less it sounded like pure fiction.”
“I just did what was needed.”
Isaac managed to play off a humble attitude. But knowing Reinhardt’s praises would keep coming, he smoothly changed the subject to why he was there.
“Why did you drop by? I’m guessing it’s not just to sing my praises.”
“Ah, very fitting of a dedicated Grail Knight. Actually, I wanted to offer my help for your quest… and maybe ask for a favor.”
Reinhardt spoke cautiously.
“I have a neighboring place called Hendrake. It’s rough terrain but used to be famous for mining. I had a good partnership with its former ruler, Sir Lisfen Hendrake.”
“Hendrake!”
Isaac was taken aback by the name but didn’t let it show.
Hendrake had always been on his list of places to check out.
At the moment, it was just a sad little village in a mountain valley, but because of the Loracus mess, it had become even more run-down and pitiful.
Yet, in two years’ time, at the start of the Dawn Army, its true worth would be revealed.
For several reasons, it became a crucial spot, being the place where the Dawn Army’s catalyst occurred. Isaac wanted to make a connection there or set up some base, and this seemed like the perfect chance.
“So, it’s not the lord of Hendrake but the lord of the neighboring village who’s here…”
Reinhardt kept talking, unaware of what Isaac was thinking.
“Lately, Viscount Lisfen Hendrake passed away from some strange illness, and his son, Kyle Hendrake, inherited the title. I thought to keep on good terms with the lad. But this Kyle Hendrake… got himself tangled up with a woman and started gambling away his money.”
Gambling away money… Isaac had to stifle a chuckle.
This was exactly the kind of tale he’d been waiting for.
So, the whole thing went down just like Isaac said it would. Lord Kyle Hendrake was messing around with Loracus, borrowing cash left and right, even hitting up Reinhardt. And guess what? It all ended in bankruptcy.
But Kyle had zero intention of coughing up the dough or showing any capability to do so.
“I figured a couple of nobles might go bust because of this mess,” Isaac mused.
He saw it coming: desperate bankrupt nobles or eager creditors looking for payback would soon be knocking on his door.
And they’d need a good excuse.
Claiming to “take down a corrupt noble dabbling in dark magic” sounded way better than “trying to collect debts.”
On the other hand, bankrupt nobles wanted Isaac in their corner to clear their names from this “evil business.”
That way, creditors couldn’t openly accuse them.
Nobles cared more about saving face than saving their fortunes.
When they wanted a comeback, they couldn’t afford a disgraceful fall.
Isaac planned to get what he needed from the first to approach him—a piece of the Hendrake estate or some exclusive domain secrets only he knew.
“Looks like the creditors beat them to it…”
He expected the bankrupt lot to be more desperate, but this twist with Reinhardt was unexpected. This noble might face bankruptcy too if he couldn’t fix things.
Isaac decided to hear him out.
“Want me to take a swing at Viscount Hendrake with you?”
Reinhardt’s eyes widened, waving his hands in protest.
“Nah, I can’t ask you to stoop that low. I won’t treat a Holy Grail Knight like a common thug. Besides, Kyle is my buddy’s son. I won’t lay a finger on him.”
He grimaced, talking carefully.
“He needs to own up, though. Dodging will only bring more trouble. And it seems a lady’s involved, so I gotta set things straight.”
Because of a woman.
Isaac thought over Reinhardt’s words.
“The classic tale of a guy undone by a woman. These stories often excuse the man more than blaming the woman.”
But with Loracus in play, maybe there really was some outside interference.
“So, this woman in Loracus, what’s she like?”
“Huh? Oh, just a maid who came in when the old lord was around. I’ve seen her around, an attractive woman for sure. But she’s just a maid, probably spoiling him by sticking by his side all the time.”
Even Reinhardt had no solid proof.
But a pretty woman can make minds wander. Men see changes and go, ‘Must be the woman’s doing!’
Isaac played along with the sarcasm.
“Well, if she’s that charming, maybe she’s like an undercover angel, you know? Working for the Red Chalice, pretending to be a maid just to stir up trouble. She could be planning to off the lord and corrupt his son or something.”
“Hm? That sounds a bit out there, Knight. Why would a Red Chalice angel bother with being a maid for some border dude? If it were me, I’d aim higher, like messing with the emperor or getting cozy with a ducal family.”
Reinhardt seemed to be taking the Holy Grail Knight’s words seriously, making Isaac lost for words.
But silently, he pondered.
‘The Red Chalice Club’s ducal heir came here and now she’s in debt.’
***
“Ready to head out, Lord Isaac?”
Hesabel, now under Isaac after landing in debt to him, stood by the lodging all set to go. She had all her stuff packed as per Isaac’s instructions.
Isaac just stared at her, not saying a word. Hesabel tilted her head, puzzled.
“What’s with the look, Lord Isaac?”
“Just thinking, it’s complicated.”
It’s all on Hesabel. She dug her own hole and now she’s stuck in it, what can he do?
Isaac sighed and said, “We’re off to the Hendrake domain.”
Digging up relics is crucial, but so is fighting the bad guys.
And if those bad guys happen to be loaded, all the better.
