Lord of Caldera - Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Chapter 290

“I will never live like you,” Isaac declared one day at the age of fifteen. The words slipped out before he could stop them. He expected a brutal beating in response but was met with an unusual calmness.

“If you don’t want to live like me, then how will you live?” his father asked, his tone almost curious.

“…I’ll become a knight,” Isaac replied. “I’ll find a lord to serve, earn my own manor, marry a noblewoman, and start a family.”

His father burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Isaac was shocked—not by the lack of violence, but by the derisive laughter.

“What’s so funny? With my strength, it’s not impossible!” Isaac protested.

After laughing for what felt like an eternity, his father wiped away tears and said, “A knight? You? A half-demon? What a joke.”

“What?”

“Yeah, a demon. Did you ever stop to wonder where your strength comes from? This isn’t human power. It’s from our bloodline—a demon bloodline.”

Isaac’s world tilted. The source of his strength, the very foundation of his dreams, was tied to something vile. His father wasn’t done.

“And you think you can be a knight? If the Church finds out about your bloodline, they won’t just stop at you. They’ll send every holy knight in the land to wipe you off the face of the earth.”

“T-the Church doesn’t have to know! I just have to—”

“Hide it? Good luck. Do you even know how often knights deal with the Church? At least once a year, if not more. Religious ceremonies, mediating disputes, healing the sick—it never ends.”

If his demonic bloodline had only granted him physical strength, perhaps he could have hidden it. But his lineage came with other traits. He couldn’t consume holy water without feeling a sharp sting, nor could he withstand prolonged exposure to sacred artifacts. Though subtle, these signs were enough to give him away.

“The Church doesn’t care how human you are or how diluted the bloodline is. The fact that you carry a demon’s taint is all that matters. The moment they find out, you’re dead.”

His father’s words crushed him. His dream of knighthood was dead before it could begin.

“So stop dreaming and learn your swordsmanship properly. The least you can do is kill well enough to survive as a mercenary, like me,” his father said with a sneer.

Devastated, Isaac reluctantly turned to mercenary work. But unlike his father, he resolved to be an honorable mercenary, refusing to stoop to his father’s level.

“It’s not so bad,” he told himself. “I can still make a living. I can still earn a name for myself without dealing with the Church…”

But fate had other plans.

Not long after starting his mercenary career, a man approached him.

“Isaac Kozellek, isn’t it?”

“…Who are you? And how do you know my family name?”

The man smirked. “So it’s true. I thought the Kozellek line was long gone.”

“Who are you?” Isaac demanded, his voice sharp.”Someone who knows about your bloodline,” the man replied with a smirk.

Isaac froze, his expression shifting to one of pure terror. The man seemed to relish his reaction, his smile widening.

“Let’s have a chat,” the stranger said casually.

The man introduced himself as Christoph.

“That damn bastard,” Isaac spat, pausing his story to take a long swig from a bottle of wine. He drained nearly half of it before slamming it down and exhaling deeply, his rage barely contained.

“He proposed a deal,” Isaac continued, his voice laced with bitterness. “Work for him, and he’d keep my bloodline a secret.”

“And this work… it’s what you’re doing now?” Sylas asked, though the answer was obvious.

“Exactly. Whenever someone too inconvenient to execute outright shows up, I kill them under the guise of a prisoner brawl.”

The deal had started with threats, but Christoph had provided more than just protection. He’d showered Isaac with luxury—fine furnishings, rare wines, and even slaves and courtesans. It was a lifestyle Isaac could have never imagined during his mercenary days.

But despite all the indulgences, Isaac never felt truly free. The leash Christoph had on him was unyielding.

“I’ve been doing this for nearly three years now,” Isaac said, slumping in his seat. “The rest, I’m sure you’ve already heard from that rat-faced fool.”

Sylas studied Isaac carefully. The man’s tone was laced with resignation, his spirit worn thin. Isaac’s presence had been a surprise, even to Sylas.

“This guy wasn’t in my memories from before the regression,” Sylas mused. “He must’ve remained under Christoph’s thumb until the end. If he’d broken free, his strength alone would’ve made him famous as a mercenary.”

Sylas pondered his next move. What should he do with Isaac?

“He’s not irredeemable,” Sylas concluded. Isaac’s earlier actions had painted him as a monster, but the scene in the cell suggested otherwise. He treated the slaves harshly but seemed to show genuine concern for the courtesan—a hint of humanity in an otherwise bleak existence.

“I have one more question,” Sylas said, breaking the silence.

“…What is it?” Isaac replied cautiously.

“Do you feel any guilt for the people you’ve killed?”

“Not at all,” Isaac said without hesitation. “This job is filthy, sure, but do you think the people sent here are innocent? Hardly.”

Christoph wasn’t indiscriminately targeting nobles. The people sent to Isaac were always those embroiled in power struggles—lords and knights vying for their own ambitions, their own glory. Men who sought to climb the social ladder through bloodshed and war.

“The only exception is you,” Isaac added, his gaze meeting Sylas’s. “You’re the first one who didn’t come here for personal gain.”

“I see,” Sylas replied, nodding. “That makes sense.”

Sylas stepped closer, and Isaac instinctively shut his eyes, bracing himself for what he assumed was the end. “This is it,” he thought. “He’s heard what he wanted. Now he’s going to kill me.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Sylas said, his voice calm. “I’m going to make you an offer.”

“An offer?” Isaac asked, opening his eyes warily.

“Swear loyalty to me.”

Isaac let out a hollow laugh, his voice heavy with despair. “You mean you want to use me as your hidden dagger, like everyone else?”