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Chapter 39:

If he was going to be entangled in this situation, he wanted to use it to his advantage as much as possible.

“So, how much were you thinking of offering me as a reward…?”

It was then that the merchant cautiously began to speak.

Isaac, having no intention of helping for free, was grateful that the merchant broached the subject first. However, he was not traveling to Seor to be satisfied with mere pennies.

“Ah, thanks, but since I’m also heading to Seor, let’s settle the reward there.”

“In Seor?”

“Isn’t there a merchants’ guild there? We’ll discuss it there.”

The merchant’s face twisted, thinking that Isaac intended to extract a proper compensation rather than just a makeshift reward. But having saved their lives, they couldn’t really complain.

However, his thoughts soon changed.

“The Golden Idol merchant guild, right? Tell the branch head that I’ll be visiting.”

Upon mentioning the Golden Idol merchant guild, the merchant’s eyes widened, and he quickly bowed his head, then realized that Isaac’s intentions were different than he had anticipated.

“So, you plan to visit? Aren’t you going to accompany us?”

“No, I have business with those fellows.”

Isaac pointed at the bandits. Remembering Isaac’s statement about having a matter to attend to with the surviving bandits, the merchant nodded. He cautiously took something out of his pocket and handed it to Isaac.

It was a coin engraved with a cow’s skull, not a currency accepted in any country.

“My name is Vihik. When you visit, show them this.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

After expressing their gratitude to Isaac once again, the merchants moved on with their carriage. Watching the carriage leave, Isaac turned back to the bandits. The bandits flinched as their eyes met Isaac’s.

It was time to address the matter concerning these bandits.

“So… none of you have a faith, right?”

“Yes.”

“What about the one who fainted?”

“Yes.”

In a world where gods openly exist, miracles are performed in their names, and even living deities roam the earth, declaring oneself faithless is akin to admitting weakness. Even Isaac, who lacked any semblance of religious fervor, found these ‘atheists’ before him odd.

How then, would the people of this world view them?

People regarded them as more than just ‘strange’—as ‘uncivilized,’ ‘untaught,’ even ‘abandoned by the gods,’ ‘barbarians,’ or ‘intellectually deficient’ for not comprehending the divine.

Usually, they were disdainfully called ‘Barbarians.’

Such Barbarians could never belong to the mainstream in any nation that followed the Nine Faiths. At best, they were ostracized or expelled, naturally limited to roles like bandits, marauders, slash-and-burn farmers, or nomads, and were frequently subjected to purges, as Rotenhammer had done.

However, Isaac didn’t view the Barbarians in such a one-dimensional manner. To him, all deities of the Nine Faiths seemed no more than characters and settings in a game, and he was utterly clueless as to why the nameless force of chaos lent him power.

In fact, Isaac was the truest Barbarian of them all.

Therefore, he decided to offer them an opportunity.

“Ever thought about adopting a faith?”

“…A faith?”

A wave of discomfort swept through the Barbarians.

The reasons Barbarians lacked faith were varied: resentment towards the Nine Faiths, a desire to believe in a new, non-existent god, their ancient deity dying, disillusionment with faith altogether, being excommunicated or fleeing from a sect… and so on.

Many either couldn’t or wouldn’t adopt a faith.

Yet, Isaac had an alternative in mind for them.

“What faith are you talking about?”

“There’s no need to know about it right now.”

Isaac evaded the question regarding which of the Nine Faiths he was referring to.

“Just listen for now. There’s no need to devoutly believe or offer sacrifices. You just need to live by following a few simple rules.”

The Barbarians, already wary, seemed uncomfortable but couldn’t refuse in the face of an armed opponent. Then, one of the Barbarians tentatively raised his hand.

“If we adopt this faith, can we become strong like you, sir?”

“No. Trying to gain power that easily would make you a thief.”

“Then why should we adopt this faith…”

“And why should I let murderers like you live?”

That concluded the persuasion.

The Barbarians quietly shut their mouths, ready to listen to Isaac.

“So, then…”

Thus, the Paladin, who was practically a Barbarian, began his bandit-like proselytization.

“First, let’s assume there’s a flying spaghetti monster up in the sky…”

***

“Alright, then remember what I’ve taught you and don’t go around doing bad things.”

“Yes, elder.”

After finishing his sermon, Isaac released the Barbarians from their bindings. The Barbarians hesitated, seemingly in disbelief that they were being let go so easily, and looked around at each other. Eventually, one of the Barbarians spoke up cautiously.

“Um, elder. While your teachings were good, I’m not quite sure how they help us.”

Isaac looked straight at him. He was a middle-aged man with a tired face and unkempt beard.

‘Not a bad guy for a bandit.’

In fact, they could have just pretended to understand, run away, and then forget everything Isaac had said. Isaac didn’t actually think a few words would convert them. However, the fact that they asked indicated they were swayed by Isaac’s sermon and that there was a possibility for conversion.

“I said those things because there are some who act sanctimonious just because they have a faith. Just live thinking, ‘I have a faith I need to adhere to.’”

Each faith has its own set of morals and rules, promising an afterlife based on adherence to these. But the Barbarians didn’t have such things, leading them to live unrestrained lives. Isaac wanted to rectify that.

Thus, Isaac had been spreading a set of loose moral guidelines.

The nameless chaos had lost its entire doctrine and scriptures, so everything had to be improvised anew by Isaac. Moreover, the guidelines of the nameless chaos didn’t even include a rule saying bad deeds lead to hell and good deeds to heaven.

It was mostly just about not doing too much harm and not worrying too much about others. Whether such lax doctrines could actually reform anyone was questionable.

But perhaps because they were so lenient, they were also easy to follow.

Most of these people were those who had rejected the stringent rules and constraints of major religions. For them, the relaxed doctrine of “don’t bother others and live without worrying too much about others” was a novel approach.

Or maybe they were simply swayed by Isaac’s unique appearance and charm.

As always, Isaac succeeded in spreading his doctrine.

[The doctrine of the nameless chaos has been disseminated.]

[The influence of the nameless chaos in the world grows stronger.]

This message appeared when Isaac began spreading the doctrine.

All four men paid attention to Isaac’s words. Isaac’s charisma stat inevitably played a strong role in this quasi-cult leader scenario.

Although Isaac’s doctrine was improvised, the system recognized it as the doctrine of the nameless chaos. Perhaps it was because Isaac was the world’s only follower and preacher of this faith.

Though unintended, Isaac felt the presence and influence of his followers whenever they accepted the doctrine of the nameless chaos.

The stronger their faith, the clearer their presence became.

The Barbarians in front of him were just beginning to consider his words, not yet showing a clear presence.

“Well then… I’ll be on my way.”

The Barbarians, still looking confused, thanked Isaac and left, taking the bodies of their comrades with them.

Isaac felt their influence waning as they departed, thinking to himself.

‘This will allow me to track the location of the Barbarians’ stronghold.’

Isaac felt a certain responsibility for his actions.

Though the presence wasn’t strong, since there were very few in the world who could be considered followers of the nameless chaos, locating them was relatively easy.

Someday, Isaac believed these scattered seeds of faith would benefit him. He was convinced that as his fame and reputation grew, he would need his own force.

Proselytization was the seed for that future.

Those rejected and starved by other faiths would become the foundation of Isaac’s support.

“Zihilrat.”

As Isaac called out, a strange creature burst out of the forest. It was Zihilrat, an offspring of chaos that Isaac had created based on the corpse of the plague god,Zihilirat, having not feasted to its heart’s content for a while, had diminished in size but was still as large as an average horse.

Isaac mounted it with practiced ease.

Without needing explicit commands, Zihilrat sensed Isaac’s will and began to sprint swiftly. The ride wasn’t comfortable, but navigating through the scarcely populated forests and valleys was far more efficient than on horseback. Without the stares of people, it could even scale walls.

‘I’m not sure how to handle the Loracus situation, but let’s head to Seor for now. I was going there to search for the relic anyway.’

***

Upon arriving in Seor, Isaac immediately felt the intense hustle of the place. Wagons from various southern regions brought with them the smells of dirt and Loracus bulbs. It was practically early spring, and the time to plant Loracus was near. Merchants were rushing to sell the bulbs to farmers before it was too late.

However, instead of farmers, the market was crowded with frenzied merchants. The trading system had grown complex, and merchants were seen arguing, fighting, and barely negotiating amidst the near-madness of the market atmosphere.

Isaac passed through the market to a trading house located in the city center.

The trading house was marked with a golden bull on its sign.

“Welcome…”

The receptionist at the trading house frowned upon seeing Isaac’s ragged appearance, but upon seeing the coin he presented, his eyes widened, and he hurried off somewhere.

Soon, a familiar face came running down from the second floor.

It was Vihik, the very merchant Isaac had saved.

“Sir, you’ve arrived. I will escort you immediately.”

Vihik was about to hurry him along but paused, giving an awkward smile before looking back at Isaac.

“Um, Mr. Isaac?”

“What is it?”

“I could take you directly to the branch head, but do you have any urgent needs for a meal, bath, or rest?”

Only then did Isaac consider his own appearance. He realized anew that it had been a while since he had a proper meal, bathed, or rested under a roof.

At that moment, Isaac wasn’t even aware of his own odor.

Isaac decided to accommodate Vihik’s situation.

“Let’s go for a bath first.”