A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression – 337



Episode 337

‘Damn it. Why Baord.’

The Arch Paladin was a holy knight with great power comparable to that of the Black Knight.

Without them the Holy Kingdom would have long ago been conquered by the Empire.

In addition the Arch Paladins of the Holy Kingdom were treated with even greater respect due to their own special characteristics. Unlike the Black Knights they were able to pass down their powers to their successors.

Unlike the Black Knight who had to overcome the wall with outstanding talent and long training to achieve that level the Arch Paladin was able to pass on his power to a Paladin who had reached a higher level and thus inherit the position of Arch Paladin.

That’s why high-ranking Paladins try their best to get on the side of the powerful people of the Holy Land and gain their support and then put their name on the list as a candidate for the successor of the Arch Paladin.

Usually the strongest candidate in the group of candidates is chosen as the winner but in cases where the skills are similar political power ultimately has to decide the winner.

In such situations there were some who achieved the level of Arch Paladin through their own power rather than through inheritance.

Such was the case with Fab Valencia who abandoned the name of Arc Paladin 50 years ago.

However after Fab Valencia disappeared the number of Arch Paladins of the Holy Kingdom was fixed at three passed down through tradition.

Then 10 years ago Baord a low-ranking paladin from commoner origins gained enlightenment and achieved the level of Arch Paladin.

This allowed the Holy Kingdom to maintain four Arch Paladins and quell the constant provocations of the Empire.

As such Baord was one of the most influential figures among the Arch Paladins within the Holy Nation.

It was not a very good sign that such a man as Baal should visit the Pope at this time.

Pierre’s remarks made the other members start to feel uneasy again.

“Sir Baord went to see the Pope. It must be for the Holy Grail right?”

“If Lord Baord the Arch Paladin gains greater power from the Holy Grail the other Arch Paladins will also seek out the Pope and then it will be impossible to stop the other Paladins from defecting!”

The Arch Paladins were a group of beings who stood one step outside the complex politics of the Holy Nation of Badoka.

Although they had various ties to the lore the Arch Paladin had an influence that transcended all of that.

Moreover since Baord was an Arch Paladin himself he was much freer from such political relations.

Pierre who had been listening to the members of parliament pressed his temples and opened his mouth.

“I must retrieve the Holy Grail from the Pope.”

The other members of parliament were surprised by those words.

“Is that possible?”

Pierre frowned and said irritably.

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“So are you going to just watch the Arch Paladins go over to the Pope’s side as you say?”

The lawmakers were silent at those words.

If the Holy Grail could not be retrieved from the Pope problems would only escalate.

Moreover the situation was such that an external enemy was gradually approaching.

If the Pope were to gain power in a situation that was already troublesome in many ways there was a high possibility that their position would quickly become eroded.

‘We must find a reason to retrieve the Holy Grail.’

Just as Pierre was beginning to ponder over how to retrieve the Holy Grail the priest approached him again and whispered something to him.

Pierre was about to jump up from his seat at the unexpected news but when he felt the curious gazes of the council members he calmed down and asked the priest in a small voice.

“Are you saying that Zeke Draker contacted me separately to ask if I wanted to see him?”

“Yes that’s right. I would like to speak with the chairman.”

A surge of electricity shot through Pierre’s head at the news that Zeke Drake had contacted him to meet him.

He smiled the corners of his lips raised.

‘Maybe this can be resolved easily. No maybe things will work out better for me.’

A brilliant plan came to mind to use Zeke Draker and the Holy Grail to bring the Arch Paladins to his side.

Pierre quickly ended the meeting and left the Capitol to meet with Zeke Draker.

* * *

Zick who met Pierre was inwardly amazed.

‘It’s amazing that attitudes can change so drastically.’

Zeke was convinced that his plan was working when he saw Pierre’s changed attitude toward him.

Pierre was trying to please Zeke with a friendly smile quite different from the arrogant attitude he had shown when he first met him.

“I had previously insisted that Kali receive the silver armor.”

“Ah I see. Now that I think about it I think I heard that story from Sister Carly.”

In fact the opposite was true.

When the previous Pope wanted to give Carly a silver armour Pierre who was a member of the council at the time foamed at the mouth and opposed it.

Even though he had achieved great success in defeating pirates he felt it was a waste to give such a precious treasure as the silver armor to Kali without any compensation.

However unlike Beatrice today the Pope at that time was able to exercise his papal authority and so he was able to decide to give the silver armor to Cali despite the opposition of councilors such as Pierre.

Pierre who had been like that washed his mouth clean and changed his words to suit himself which was more like a politician than a priest.

Zeke chimed in with Pierre’s words trying to get him to tell him what he really thought.

Pierre who had been talking for a long time about his friendship with Carly Draker and his interactions with the Draker family began to reveal his true feelings.

“By the way Sir Zeke. I heard that you offered the Holy Grail you received from the Fairy King to His Holiness. Is that true?”

Zeke finally realized that the time had come and set his plan into action.

He shook his head with a look of bewilderment.

“Yes? Was there such a rumor?”

Zeke said with a puzzled expression.

“Your Majesty you are too much. When I came to see you and greet you you treated me like a country knight and pressured me to tell you the story of my meeting with the Fairy King.”

Pierre nodded as if he understood what Zeke said.

“Oh so that’s what happened.”

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Pierre believed Zig’s words without question because he only knew the innocent image that Beatrice portrayed.

Zeke continued speaking with a disgruntled expression.

“While I was telling you the story of my meeting with the Fairy King I briefly mentioned the Holy Grail but you suddenly asked me to show you. So I had no choice but to take out the Holy Grail and show it to you. It is truly embarrassing that you would spread such a rumor without my permission.”

Pierre felt inwardly delighted after hearing Zeke’s words.

‘The rumors were wrong. Zeke Draker has no intention of handing over the Holy Grail to the Pope.’

Zeke sighed as he looked at Pierre.

“I have come a long way with good intentions to help the Holy Kingdom… but I never dreamed that Your Majesty would be so reckless even though it may sound blasphemous.”

Pierre nodded and agreed with Zeke’s words.

“I understand. The current pope has the sign of the sun and he was put on the throne by the previous pope but he has no dignity or refinement whatsoever. He often finds himself in a difficult situation in the council.”

When Pierre agreed Jacques smiled and said:

“I see. If I had known this would happen I would have relied on you from the beginning. I never dreamed that the Badoka Kingdom had such complicated circumstances.”

Pierre smiled inwardly at Zeke’s complaint.

‘Things seem to be going better than I thought.’

Then Zeke looked at Pierre and said.

“It is a holy relic I received from the Fairy King but it doesn’t have any special abilities so it’s okay to give it to him but I’m a bit bewildered that it suddenly appeared like this.”

Pierre’s eyes sparkled at Zeke’s words.

‘You don’t know what the power of the Holy Grail is?’

Pierre knew from the secret that the power of the Holy Grail was to elevate one’s potential.

However Zigg who received the Holy Grail from the Fairy King seemed unaware of its power.

Pierre’s head turned quickly.

“Sir Zeke. How about we do it this way?”

He looked up and met Zick’s eyes as he looked at him.

“It seems that the Pope has his eye on the Holy Grail but he is of such a shallow birth that he can only be satisfied if he gets what he wants. In that case wouldn’t it be better if he donated the Holy Grail to me?”

“A donation to the chairman?”

“Yes. If Sir Zeke donates the Holy Grail to me I will give him the honor and glorious treasure he deserves.”

In fact from the knight’s point of view the Holy Grail as a holy relic is not of much help.

And anyway the fact that he had been blessed by the Fairy King had already spread throughout the entire continent.

If he could donate the Holy Grail to the Elven King and at the same time defend the Holy Land from the Orc legions his fame would surely rise even higher than before.

It was a profitable deal for Zikro as Pierre even offered to give him a matching treasure.

“Donate the Holy Grail…..”

As Zeke pondered Pierre whose body was burning pulled out his last card.

“If Sir Zeke donates the Holy Grail I will give you gold equal to your weight in weight.”

At those words Zeke shook his head.

“I’m sorry but I have plenty of gold.”

Pierre saw Zig frown and thought “Oh no.”

Then Zeke looked at Pierre and said.

“I could consider it if you could give me something other than gold…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Can you give me orichalcum instead of gold?”

Pierre was taken aback by Zeke’s words.

‘This guy….’

Orichalcum was not something that could be bought with money.

It was considered the most precious thing because its quantity was limited even within the Holy Kingdom.

Zeke said looking at Pierre.

“If you have the Orichalcum to create a sword I will hand over the Holy Grail to you Chairman.”

Pierre’s face hardened slightly at Zeke’s words.

‘An orichalcum that can be used to make a sword…’

In fact Pierre had been stealing the Orichalcum from the Holy Kingdom’s treasure vault for a long time.

‘To that extent you would have to scrape together all the orichalcum you have.’

But if Zeke made a mistake here and handed the Holy Grail over to the Pope he could have found himself in a difficult situation.

‘If you donate the Holy Grail in my name I can use it to bring the Arch Paladins to my camp.’

The current Ark Paladins all maintain independent power and have a symbiotic relationship with Pierre.

If they could just bring just one Baord to their side they would be able to completely gain the upper hand in the power structure within the Holy Nation.

Pierre who had been thinking hard came to the conclusion that investing was the right thing to do in the current situation.

‘It’s close to my entire fortune. If only I could get my hands on the Holy Grail…’

If only he could bring the Arch Paladins to his faction his wealth could be replenished in no time.

He hesitated for a moment then nodded.

“Very well. This too must be God’s will. Please do so. However I have one request to make.”

“Please speak.”

“I am afraid that the Pope may know about this in advance and interfere. Let this be known only to me Sir Zeke and God.”

Zeke nodded as if he understood what he said.

“Okay don’t worry Chairman.”

Pierre decided to send the Orichalcum to Sieg first and Sieg promised to publicly donate the Grail to him two days later.

Pierre looked forward to the future that lay ahead imagining all the Paladins kneeling before him and swearing their loyalty with the Holy Grail in his hand.

In his mind there was no thought of the Orc legions threatening the Holy Nation or the suffering subjects.

And two days later all the important figures of the Holy Nation including the Pope the president and the council members gathered in the chapel of the Cathedral of Vadoca representing the Holy Nation.

It was nominally an event to express gratitude to Zeke Draker for coming to help the Holy Nation of Badoka.

However Pierre was filled with anticipation that Zeke Drake would nominate him in front of the dignitaries of the Holy Nation and donate the Holy Grail.

However the event at the chapel went in a completely different direction than Pierre had expected.

“I Beatrice I declare a holy war in the name of God against the Orc legions that seek to invade the Holy Nation of Baadoca.”