Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 351: The Thirsty Feast (1)

“The fisherman, who, fixated on the fish below the water, failed to see the glory reflected on the scales of the waves. Arrogantly, he even tried to deceive the Lighthouse Keeper, attempting to blind his gaze. Thus, a mark was placed above the fisherman’s home so that he would never turn his eyes from the light again.”

The Salt Council had no holy scripture.

Only a few surviving tales passed down orally and scattered accounts of survivors around the world existed as remnants. To learn anything about the Salt Council before the Era of Light, one had to rely on records preserved by other faiths.

The phrase above was from Aidan, referencing a passage in the Codex of Light about “The Last Stand of Miarma.” The term “fisherman” was clearly a dismissive reference to the Salt Council, and the identity of the Lighthouse Keeper was self-evident.

However, interpretations of what “the fisherman’s home” referred to were mixed. Many speculated it was Miarma itself, while others thought it could be a sea temple buried beneath the Salt Desert or some other specific structure.

Today, however, Aidan discovered the true nature of “the fisherman’s home.”

“So, this is the fisherman’s home.”

Aidan muttered as he brushed his hand against the obelisk erected before the massive pyramid temple. Inscribed on the obelisk, in an ancient language few could read today, were the words “the fisherman’s home.” The words in the scripture had not been metaphorical; they were literal and precise.

“It feels like it’s getting colder the further we go, Captain!” Reina remarked, puzzled.

Above, the cursed sun blazed in a dark red hue. Yet, paradoxically, the closer they got to it, the cooler it felt. Though still hot, the air seemed to have cooled noticeably, a sensation accentuated by the scorching conditions they’d just left.

“It’s hard to explain, but this place seems to act like a sort of lantern. A sacred power here appears to keep that massive sun aloft, simultaneously preventing the heat from radiating down below.”

“Oh… that’s amazing! Then, couldn’t we topple this lantern somehow and make it fall onto the enemies?”

“…Please, show a little more respect for the sanctity of this site, Dame Reina Hilde. And, I’d rather not imagine the catastrophe that might ensue if that sun crashed down.”

Aidan had no wish for another disaster as great as the Salt Desert to be unleashed elsewhere. Containing his excitement as an archaeologist, he took a cautious step toward the ancient temple, sealed for over a thousand years.

The pyramid temple had an imposing stone gate, firmly shut. In buildings of this sort, the gate was usually opened only for special ceremonies, while a smaller door on the side allowed for everyday access.

Just before Aidan touched the doorknob, Reina suddenly stopped him. She glared at the doorknob intensely, then gently pushed Aidan back and nudged the door with the tip of her sword. But nothing happened.

Aidan looked at her in silence for a moment.

“This is a temple, not a dungeon. There shouldn’t be any traps, especially on the entrance.”

“Yes? Ah, of course, I know. It’s just that there’s a sign someone’s been in here recently. Since His Majesty Edelred ordered the temple not to be disturbed, no one should have touched it.”

“A sign of entry?”

“The doorknob is free of dust. That’s unusual for any structure around here. If there were footprints, I could dismiss it, but there’s nothing like that. Whoever entered cleaned up their tracks. From my experience, this is a 100% ambush scenario.”

Aidan was startled and intrigued.

Who else could be hiding in this ruin, untouched for a millennium?

Reina cautiously pushed the door open with her sword and scanned their surroundings. After confirming there was no one in sight, she gestured for Aidan to proceed.

“There’s no one here. But we should remain vigilant. The Holy Grail Knight mentioned someone else might be in this city, besides us.”

“Monsters, perhaps?”

“Intelligent monsters are always more dangerous. The same reason why humans are.”

***

The “fisherman’s home” was illuminated inside, likely due to some clever design drawing in external sunlight and reflected beams. But only the lighting remained functional; the once-grand fountains, layered waterways, and large perches were now empty, void of their original splendor.

Reina seemed almost eager to engage in a battle with some trap or lurking creature in this abandoned temple, yet no such threat appeared. The temple appeared committed to its role as a place of worship alone.

It was a vast hall capable of accommodating many worshippers, adorned with grand decor, and its long, high corridors radiated an air of authority.

“Hm, somehow looking for a spoon would be more fun than this,” Reina mused.

“You can say that while gazing upon this majestic scenery?” Aidan asked, incredulous. But he had similar thoughts himself.

Usually, temples contained tapestries or carvings symbolizing the link between gods and humans, perhaps depicting angels or holy images. But this temple was starkly empty.

Attempting to justify it with his faith, Aidan speculated, “Perhaps the ‘true temple’ lies in a sea temple below, and this is just a simple shrine for common worshippers who couldn’t visit the main temple…”

“Captain, look over there.”

Reina, ignoring Aidan’s musings, pointed toward something. In the large, empty space below, another small pyramid stood. Though small compared to the fisherman’s home, it was still the size of a grand mansion.

“It’s incredible we missed such a large structure. It’s as if it’s perfectly blended into the shadows, hidden from sight.”

Even Reina was astonished by the ancient craftsmanship.

Seeing it made Aidan’s heart race for reasons he couldn’t explain. He sensed that something significant awaited him there.

Reina, perhaps feeling the same, approached the dark pyramid without hesitation. As they drew closer, they noticed a foul odor.

“Is this… the smell of fish?”

Reina asked, clearly repulsed. The smell of fish might be typical at a harbor, but it was eerie considering that this was a harbor that had dried up a thousand years ago. Reina, now visibly tense, approached the black pyramid with even more caution.

The pyramid had a barely discernible black door, the only hint of its presence being a small golden doorknob.

“There’s no dust on this door either.”

Reina whispered. She gently nudged the door with her sword, and as it opened, the stench intensified.

At that moment, Reina felt a strong resistance against her sword. Instantly, she pushed Aidan back and kicked the door.

Bang. A loud thud echoed as something collided and rolled within. Reina was about to step inside when she realized that the interior was a pitch-black darkness, entirely untouched by light.

“Who’s there?!”

“……”

A faint groan, almost like a human voice, echoed from within. Reina was about to shout once more when Aidan grabbed her waist, stopping her.

“Wait! Let’s try listening first, Dame Reina! It sounds like it can understand us.”

Reina frowned briefly but reminded herself that her mission was not to kill but to protect Aidan in his archaeological pursuits. She couldn’t simply attack anyone suspicious without reason.

Aidan then called out respectfully, “Who are you?”

Finally, a barely understandable voice murmured in reply.

“…Eidric… Sadraza.”

Aidan’s face showed surprise, prompting Reina to ask impatiently, “What does that mean?”

“It means ‘One with a Swim Bladder,’ essentially a title for a high priest in the Salt Council.”

This revelation left Reina astonished.

A high priest of the Salt Council? Since adopting the name “Salt Council,” they had abandoned the concept of priests. Their leaders were captains, and the council was an egalitarian assembly where captains gathered to reach consensus. Having severed ties with gods, this was the way they chose to determine their path forward.

Thus, this “Sadraza” appeared to be a figure who held an ancient title from a thousand years ago in the Salt Council.

***

Aidan, curious yet cautious, didn’t act rashly. He immediately returned with Reina to inform Isaac about their discovery of the entity calling itself “Sadraza” within the fisherman’s home.

Upon hearing this, Isaac came to the black pyramid without delay, accompanied by Lianne and Cedric, who had been summoned just in case.

Seeing their presence, Aidan looked a bit uneasy. “Isn’t this… a bit much?”

“Don’t be swayed by the sweet notion of a high priest of the Salt Council, Aidan,” Isaac replied.

“It’s not that. I just wonder if this entity could pose much of a threat. Honestly, based on what I’ve observed, even I could probably handle it alone,” Aidan said, glancing at Reina.

Around the entrance of the black pyramid, Aidan had taken precautions. He’d used one of the Salt Council’s few remaining protective wards and drawn a sealing ritual in salt—a substance gathered from the Salt Desert itself. Isaac could feel the unmistakable energy radiating from the white salt. Few unholy beings could bypass such a barrier, indicating that Aidan didn’t fully trust the entity known as Sadraza.

“I heard it can speak, but what did it say?”

“Well… much like with the Drowned King, the dialect was so archaic I couldn’t fully understand it. But essentially, it claimed to be the high priest, ‘Sadraza,’ and that it had hidden here since the catastrophe began, astonished that a thousand years had passed.”

“How has it survived?”

“It… doesn’t know either, it seems. While sheltering in the pyramid to escape the curse over the city, it endured an indescribable span of time, during which its body began to transform.”

If it were indeed a thousand-year-old entity, it wouldn’t necessarily be bound by the later generations’ compulsive honesty, a sort of cultural trauma cultivated over centuries.

Isaac pondered this, combing through his memory. He found no mention of a figure named “Sadraza” in the Salt Council. This entity had either hidden its true name or remained unknown, even within the game.

Either way, it seemed unlikely to be a figure significant enough to affect the broader narrative.

Nodding, Isaac addressed the figure within the black pyramid, “I am Isaac Issacrea. Are you Sadraza? Why did you hide within this temple?”

Isaac spoke in an ancient dialect with practiced fluency, a skill he’d honed from his dealings with the Drowned King. Aidan alone seemed unsurprised, while a voice from within the black pyramid finally replied.

“Isaac.”

The voice lingered over the name as if savoring it.

“Pleased to meet you. I am merely…”

“Hold on.” Isaac interrupted. “I don’t converse with unseen entities. Show yourself.”

“…”

There was a pause before Sadraza spoke cautiously.

“Would you have everyone but Aidan stand back? Those beside you seem rather fierce, and I fear they may strike me down the moment they see me.”

Isaac doubted that Elil’s swordmaster and knight would act rashly, but he nodded all the same.

The presence Sadraza emanated was, in fact, weak. Aidan’s earlier comment about being able to handle it alone wasn’t exaggerated.

As Elil’s knights stepped back, the door slowly opened.

The figure that emerged left Aidan breathless.

It was a mass of tentacles. The tentacles, dark red in hue, slithered out from the shadows and into the light. As its full form gradually became visible, Isaac couldn’t suppress a grim expression.

Looking at Sadraza as it emerged from the black pyramid, Isaac thought it resembled a massive, clumsy attempt at imitating a human, like an octopus standing over three meters tall.

At the same time, Isaac felt a hint of the same confusion that plagued the followers of the Salt Council.

He couldn’t tell if the tentacled form before him bore the influence of the Nameless Chaos or that of the Salt Council.