Paladin (manhwa)

Paladin: The Manga is a fantasy/sci-fi series, manhwa-style, created by author Ryu Kee-Oun and artist Jung-Hu. It began in 2011, and as of April 2012 has published 40 chapters.

The series is set on a medieval planet where The Empire and the Alliance of United Kingdoms have recently ended their war, in The Empire's favor. The story begins where a group of mercenaries, insulted at a kingdom without a (more-than-infantile) king for rejecting payment, decides to "reposess" the entire kingdom. One pope-like figure, The Oracle, is all that stands between a corrupted paladin and his throne.

In addition to a paladin's training and combat prowess, in this world a paladin is defined by a special pact made, not by gods, but by beasts. These "Spirit Beasts" posess great power, and can lend some of it to their contractor, from within him and from outside of the field. If a Spirit Beast or a contractor dies, the Spirit Beast reverts to an egg-form until it is reawakened and recontracted. And so, only the chosen few can wield their kingdom-crushing power... even the corrupt and the wicked, if the beast is willing.

But all is not as it seems. Decoy protagonists and slapstick humor aside, the "Spirit Beasts" are actually alien warships that can perform orbital strikes. The contractors' powers manifest in strength, wind attacks, and even transparent bodies, implying nanomachines and hyper-dimensional technology. And what was once the Commanding General of The Empire has now become a common thief, posessing a Spirit Beast capable of space travel.

Karen is the former Commanding General, but it's implied that he's actually an alien looking for adventure. Parven is a Paladin Alchemist (explained below) who takes on a job to guard/escort a princess.

Chapter 1 was about a kingdom under rule by a mercenary and an introduction to the Spirit Beasts and their Paladins. Chapter 2 was about a runaway princess and the machinations of her backstabbing kingdom. Chapter 3 may be about new planets, let's hope so.


 * Decoy Protagonist: After two meteor crashes, a "medieval meteorologist" comes to study the meteors and gets captured. This just screams "guy from the sky", but he's no hero, and certainly not a meteorologist. Even after it's revealed he's just a city thief, he does bring along a friend from the jail to assist him, implying a journey to greatness. But then it's revealed that the real protagonist was already in the cell, who was also caught during one of the meteor crashes, when the guards find the thief tied up to the cell bars... USING THE CELL BARS AS ROPE.
 * Boss in Mook Clothing: Karen
 * Little King: Yessica's Cousin. Proves his worth when he
 * Shapeshifting Weapon: Parven's Paladin Alchemy can do this.
 * Tsundere: Yessica.