At that remark, Ilyas head snapped up.

Youve resolved the issue with the Red Flesh? As long as any flesh remains, the Doctrine of Thirsty Love wont disappear, so how Could it be that the Prophet of the Red Flesh withdrew voluntarily?

Youre not in a position to be asking questions, Dietrich retorted, evading the question with an authoritarian tone.

Even if it was Isolde, digesting and absorbing the Red Flesh could pose long-term problems, especially if it involved the whole Prophet of the Red Flesh. Thats why it was necessary to break Ilyas spirit intentionally.

Subdued, Ilya bowed his head.

What I meant to say was I found the person who fed the Red Flesh to Miss Isolde. We dealt with it internally within the Inquisition. You wont meet him again.

When an inquisitor says you wont meet someone again, it usually means theyve been cleanly incinerated.

Who it was or why it happened didnt matter. It was likely a one-time use agent anyway. The Red Chalices schemes involving seduction and manipulation were not new.

Dietrich had experienced it several times, so he merely frowned.

Did you find out why they did it?

Ilya shook his head. Such disposable minions likely didnt even know what they were carrying or who they were working for, given the cunning nature of the Red Chalices plots. At best, they might have tried to create a scandal involving the second highest in the empires hierarchy.

Isaac knew this was aimed at him, but he couldnt disclose that. Dietrich sighed heavily.

Is that all you had to tell Isolde?

Since we cant reveal that Lady of the Duchy is affected by the Doctrine of Thirsty Love, I just wanted to ensure everything was resolved since she was attending the banquet. But I never expected this to happen

Isaac whispered to Dietrich by his side.

He seems to be telling the truth.

Thats what I see as well.

However, Dietrich still looked at Ilya as if he was something to be devoured, without showing any sign of softening.

Sending Isolde to the church was meant to expose her to the world, including the darker sides of the order. Although Isolde seemed to have nine lives, wandering as she did, she had managed to survive and return safely.

That was enough for Dietrich.

He turned to Isaac and seemed to ponder for a moment before pulling off a ring that was fitted on his finger.

The Paladin collects relics and returns them to the temple to receive the gods blessings. Please, take this.

Isaac could hardly hide his surprise at seeing the ring.

[Broken Crystal tomestone Fragment (S)]

[In the Crystal Battlefield, ten thousand warriors fight in ten thousand ways, tasting victory ten thousand times, and facing death just as often. The tomestone mourns the warriors deaths, during its luminescence it aligns their movements flawlessly, guiding them to certain victory or death.]

This is

Isaac started to speak but stopped at Dietrichs urgent gesture.

The Crystal Battlefield is the afterworld of Elil. And this ring was forged from the fragments that flowed from that very afterworld of Elil.

The ring, encrusted with dense crystal fragments around its golden band, emitted an extraordinary aura.

It was found by one of my ancestors in Rougeberg. It might have belonged to a high knight under Elil, or perhaps to Elil himself.

No, I cant accept something this valuable.

It wasnt a refusal out of politeness or modesty, but genuine discomfort. Such an item would be considered a heirloom in the Duchy of Brant, and if the ducal succession were even slightly complicated, accepting it could lead Isaac to face assassination.

But Dietrich forcibly placed the ring in Isaacs hand.

Its not the Codex of Light nor a relic of the Elil Order that I could openly display; it was a sanctified object I kept hidden. It saved my life numerous times during the last war. I have no use for it now, but as a Paladin, it might be of use to you.

Isaac looked at the ring in his hand, visibly uneasy.

Youre not suggesting I join the Brant family by accepting this, are you?

Haha, was it that obvious?

Although it seemed like a transparent attempt to secure Isaacs allegiance by integrating him into the Brant family, Dietrich merely laughed it off.

Isaac, feeling the weight of the coerced gift, ultimately accepted it.

The Broken Crystal tomestone Fragment, known simply as a tomestone Fragment, was indeed a top-tier accessory for any blade-wielding profession.

To obtain a crystal tombstone fragment of this size, one would need to hunt nearly a hundred divine beasts in the afterlife of Elil or harvest it directly from there

Moreover, there were complicated conditions such as usage limits and time restrictions. If exceeded, it would either destroy itself or lose power, but the fragment received from Dietrich was quite a powerful relic.

It would be a lie to say it wasnt tempting.

I gratefully accept.

Even as Isaac accepted the ring, he couldnt shake off the thought that it was too much. Although a precious only daughter, it seemed too much for saving just one person.

And Isaac did not want to feel indebted.

***

Issue: The Red Chalice had agreed to cooperate with Isaac.

Then why did the Wallachia human hunters come now to kidnap Isolde?

Answer: Because the intentions of the gods are not always clear.

Especially, the Red Chalice Club, heavily influenced by angels, was more so.

The royalty receives blood directly from the Red Chalice, but it is the angels who care for and manage them. Among them, the Prophet of the Red Flesh from the Gullmar family was actively involved in grooming successors.

It was the men sent from the Gullmar family.

Isaac said, tapping the barrel in front of Hesabel.

Hesabels eyes flickered.

In the barrel, slightly lower than knee-height, overflowing with blood, the Hunt Leader was efficiently packed without wasting space.

It wasnt because of you, but it seems they came to recover the flesh after something went wrong with the Prophet of the Red Fleshs work.

So they mentioned my family, huh.

The Gullmar family must be burning inside, having the Prophet of the Red Flesh as their backing.

Even losing two relics and the heir to the dukedom committing apostasy, they must have thought they needed to do something, Hesabel pointed out, though Isaac had deliberately not mentioned it.

She emphasized as if she had nothing to do with this matter.

Did the Gullmar family know that this was a trick by the Prophet of the Red Flesh trying to flee and commit apostasy?

They wouldnt have known. Its easy for the Prophet of the Red Flesh to just run away, but the Gullmar dukedom remains in the Wallachia kingdom. Its clear what happens to a family that aids an angels apostasy.

Ironically, the reason they werent completely stripped of their nobility and punished was because of Hesabel. Because of the secret alliance between Isaac and the Red Chalice, the Gullmar family wasnt given a reason to be punished. But the angels of the Red Chalice seemed to have left them uneasy on purpose; it was easier to handle that way.

And indeed, Iliya was not involved in this attack.

The Huntwe Leader had anticipated that he would contact Isolde and had simply tracked his movements and ambushed him.

After all, being used by a heretic, especially for an inquisitor, is a grave sin in itself.

Though this stopped the attack targeting Isolde, the problem wasnt completely resolved.

There are still spies.

Spies?

Yes. Those deceived, bribed, or threatened The Prophet of the Red Flesh must have prepared thoroughly. After all, she was the most active angel in the Red Chalice Club.

The scale of the conspiracy was larger than expected.

It was suspicious that they had planned so much just to kidnap Isolde.

Even if the plot was to dominate the Brant duchy, it would have been enough to bewitch a few close nobles after gaining control over Isolde.

However, this conspiracy involved not just nobles but also guards, merchants, thieves, and smugglers.

This scale was abnormal.

No, it wasnt typical of the Prophet of the Red Flesh to manage even the lowest ranks; he would rather overthrow the duchy by force.

The problem was that these people were organized in cells, so detailed plans were unknown due to their strict secrecy. They didnt even know they were following the orders of the Red Chalice Clubs angel.

Fortunately, the Hunter Leader had the names of all the nobles he had bewitched.

Isaac sent the list into Hesabels mind. However, Hesabel still looked uneasy.

She cautiously observed Isaac and said,

Im sorry, Isaac. Its impossible to completely eliminate all the spies of the Red Chalice. Unless you can solve everyones poverty, make them saints who dont succumb to temptation, or ensure they live contentedly, that is.

Expecting the spies of the Red Chalice Club to disappear is like hoping there are no people who are bribed, seduced, or dream of immortality.

It was an impossible task that only those with unrealistic expectations about humans would dream of.

As long as desires exist, the Red Chalice Club would always find a way to infiltrate.

Isaac knew this well.

He nodded and said,

Right. I know. But this time, the scale is so large that I just want to know what they are plotting. Especially because they have been unusually aggressive lately.

It might not be a big deal.

But the hunters of the Red Chalice were caught too easily, and the scale of those involved in the conspiracy seemed too large for their goals.

Isaac thought that the attack by the human hunters might just be a part of a larger scheme.

And soon, he could come to a conclusion.

***

Isaac, if you have time, would you like to have a cup of tea?

The kidnappers targeting Isolde had been dealt with, so the banquet could now end without issues. Dietrich seemed to have thought of a way to conclude the event convincingly, but Isaac no longer cared.

Of course. What kind of tea is it?

To refuse the dukes teatime would be too materialistic for Isaac.

Its a very expensive tea. Directly brought from the central regions.

Isaac wondered how special the tea was for Duke Brant to praise it so highly.

The Emperor himself wishes to meet you.

Indeed, it was going to be a very expensive teatime.