Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 107 - Kidnapping

Chapter 107 – Kidnapping

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Returning to the inn, Elbridge and Rombel shared the information they had obtained from the general store owner.

“And… that’s why the elves are living in Norens City.”

Of course, the information Elbridge aimed for was not about the elves’ circumstances, but rather about the person who had contacted Corwin.

However, Elbridge had not thought he would obtain such information easily. There was no way ordinary people could know about the one breaking the seal.

Since it was impossible to know where a clue might pop up at present, gathering all kinds of information, sharing it constantly, and searching for clues was the best course of action.

As Elbridge finished speaking, Marcus spoke this time.

“As for me… I didn’t have much harvest today. I’m not in a position to strike up conversations with other mercenaries yet.”

Mercenaries tended to share information more actively than other professions. However, even such mercenaries did not give important information to a drifter they met for the first time in their lives.

For Marcus to obtain useful information, he would have to hang around the Mercenary Guild for a while to make himself known, and build rapport by handling a few day-trips or short-term requests.

“Only a few halfwits are loitering at the Mercenary Guild, while any guys who are even slightly competent accept commissions and leave as soon as they enter the guild. It seems there’s a lot of work.”

Listening to the story, Sonya spoke.

“There might be a lot of work, but the fact that many mercenaries are leaving the North is likely a bigger reason.”

“Huh?”

“Until the magic beasts increased, the mercenaries’ response was quite fine, but they say the atmosphere changed as even demons began appearing frequently lately. It seems mercenaries who know the value of their lives have escaped to the less dangerous East or Central regions.”

It was reasonably useful information.

However, what Elbridge’s party found even more surprising was not the content of the information, but the very fact that Sonya had obtained it.

“Who told you such a story?”

At Marcus’s question, Sonya answered triumphantly.

“Who else could it be? It’s a story told by a mercenary who was bewitched by my beauty.”

“Did… a man really approach you and strike up a conversation?”

Instead of answering that question, Sonya asked the innkeeper.

“Mister. Since you saw it, please say something.”

At that, the innkeeper answered.

“One serious greenhorn. Three men who flirted lightly.”

Marcus shook his head.

“I just can’t understand the taste of the Northerners.”

Normally, Sonya might have flared up.

However, today’s Sonya was in a state where her self-esteem had reached its maximum. Sonya responded with a light snort.

At that moment, Rombel spoke again.

“By the way, why are the elves so crazed for money?”

Marcus answered bluntly.

“Didn’t you say it yourself a moment ago, Mr. Rombel? That the elves set fire to the forest to stop Starwave and ended up completely ruined. The elves also need money to make a living, don’t they?”

At that, Rombel shook his head.

“No. Elves do not need money. There is no such thing as an elf starving to death in a forest.”

“But since they burned down the forest, they could starve to death.”

“The forests of the North are different from the South. The southern Great Forest is a single massive forest, but in the North, there are tons of large and small forests. Even if one forest burns down, it’s enough to just move to another forest. Though they would be heartbroken…”

“Hmm.”

If so, why did the elves not go to another forest, but come to Norens City instead?

Marcus pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“Did a reason arise making it impossible to go to other forests? Like demons and magic beasts completely seizing control of all the forests in the North.”

“The possibility of that having happened already is slim. And even if, by some miracle, the northern forests were entirely seized, the Forest of Thorns would not have been seized.”

Sonya asked.

“The Forest of Thorns?”

“The forest ruled by the elves’ patron deity, the Goddess of Thorns.”

“It’s still just a forest, though.”

“The Forest of Thorns is no ordinary forest. It is a forest imbued with the Goddess of Thorns’ authority, and a forest protected by elf guardians. Even in the distant past, the Forest of Thorns has never been breached.”

Sonya and Marcus did not know well what a guardian was. However, because the designation ‘guardian’ was so intuitive, they could easily guess what role they played.

Sonya muttered.

“Hmm. Those elves called guardians, their skills must be great.”

“Even Elbridge or I would defer to the guardians.”

“They are… stronger than Elbridge?”

Sonya remembered the exploit Elbridge had shown in the Dickens Viscountcy.

Elbridge had cut down the Ghost Knight in a single stroke and had shown movements close to acrobatics even while tucking Sonya under one arm.

Elbridge was outside the realm of ordinary humans.

Sonya looked at Elbridge as if she could not believe Rombel’s words.

However, Elbridge also did not seem to have any intention of denying Rombel’s words.

“Two hundred years ago, I was called the youngest paladin.”

A paladin refers to a holy knight of extraordinary skill, distinguished from ordinary holy knights.

The title of paladin is not given by a specific person or by a religious order itself.

It was simply that the people of the world, and the holy knights of each order, called them so with respect.

Therefore, being called a paladin was all the more difficult. For one would have to possess skills that the majority of holy knights and countless people could acknowledge.

Since the situation was like this, combat orders without a paladin were numerous, and even in medium-to-large orders, paladin-class holy knights were rare.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say it with my own mouth, but even by ancient standards, my skills were quite decent. However, I was not to the level of discussing the absolute best. On the other hand, the elf guardians were among the top powerhouses on the earth. At most, there were three or fewer human holy knights who held a similar status to them. For example, Sir Leonhardt…”

Marcus remembered the oracle that the God of the Sunshower had bestowed upon Elbridge.

—There is not a single holy knight in the East who can replace you. For the time being, concentrating all authority on you is the most rational decision. Right now, it does not matter even if you turn all combat orders into enemies. Before long, everyone will kneel before you and request your help.

To put it the other way, it meant that outside the East, there existed combat forces comparable to or greater than Elbridge. The elf guardians would be one of them.

Rombel spoke.

“It’s only natural. They are ones who have invested the long lifespan of an elf into combat and training. The period Elbridge has mastered the sword is but a mere flash compared to their lives.”

Sonya and Marcus could not imagine the guardians’ strength.

Even Elbridge was a powerhouse difficult to imagine. A powerhouse superior to such an Elbridge?

Clap, clap. Rombel clapped his hands to draw attention.

“The conversation digressed. Anyway, let’s keep gathering information for the time being. In particular, I think it would be good to closely observe parts related to combat orders. Since they enticed the combat orders through Corwin in the East, there is a high probability they plotted things through the combat orders in the North as well.”

*

A few days passed since then.

However, there was no significant information. There was also no guarantee as to when important information would come in. Gathering information was a battle of patience.

Then one day, Elbridge and Rombel realized that the atmosphere of Norens City was slightly different from usual.

Elbridge asked the general store owner.

“Elder. Is something happening today?”

“Me? Nothing is happening with me.”

“No. I mean the atmosphere of the streets seems a bit strange. There seem to be fewer people today than usual.”

“Ah, that? It’s because today is the rotation day for the combat orders.”

Even a strong paladin of a combat order could not endure on the battlefield without rest. That was a matter of the mind, not the body.

The body could be recovered with the authority of healing, but the mind could not be treated with the authority of healing. The human mind required rest.

For that reason, paladins exhausted from fighting at the front lines would occasionally return to Norens City to rest. Norens City was the most livable town and the safest area in the North.

Also, most of the temples of the native Northern orders were in Norens City.

“The exhausted paladins will rest in Norens City for the time being, and the paladins who have finished resting will head north in their stead. It’s about time they arrive, so go over there if you want to watch.”

“Thank you.”

Elbridge and Rombel moved in the direction the general store owner pointed.

“Over there.”

In the place Elbridge pointed to, people gathered like clouds, unwilling to miss a rare spectacle.

Between the crowd parted to the left and right forming two masses, paladins who had finished preparations for departure stood neatly in rows and columns.

The flags of each order fluttered loudly, pushed by the northern wind.

And on the foremost flag, an eight-pointed star emblem symbolizing the northern part of the continent was engraved.

Rombel wore a satisfied expression as he looked at that scene.

“The North is certainly different.”

Perhaps because it was the North, where the influence of combat orders was strongest, they looked well-disciplined, unlike the paladins of the peaceful East.

In times of peace, they too must have dulled slightly. However, they had tempered their blades once more over the past year or so. Even if not as sharp as in the old days, to the extent that it could at least be called a blade.

At that moment, the people began to shout in excitement.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!”

A troop of paladins approaching Norens City could be seen. Elbridge narrowed his eyes and observed their appearance.

Tired expressions. The happiness of having crossed the threshold and survived. Armor with clear traces of being dented or torn. And marks of wounds not treated in time.

There were also several people carrying two or three swords, perhaps keepsakes of their comrades.

And just before they arrived.

Bwoooong—

Along with the low, resonant blast of a horn, the paladins who had finished preparations for departure began to move north.

Their expressions were different from those of the returning ones. Tension, yet a pride unwilling to show weakness before the crowd.

The returning paladins and the departing paladins brushed past each other.

The paladins of each group busily darted their eyes around, looking for familiar faces.

Those who found familiar faces smiled faintly at each other. There were also many who lightly bumped gauntlets or tapped each other’s backs.

Clank, clank, clank.

The metallic-sounding footsteps unique to an armored troop.

The injured and exhausted paladins entered the welcoming crowd.

“Ooooooh—!”

The people welcomed the exhausted paladins with thunderous cheers and ear-splitting applause.

The returning paladins stopped their steps amidst the crowd. Only then did the paladins, as if all their tension had unraveled, enjoy the people’s cheers with proud expressions.

Rombel muttered.

“The paladins of the East must have also wished for such a moment. A moment where they showed their value and received everyone’s respect.”

“They probably did.”

At that moment, the paladin standing at the front began a brief speech to the people.

“And… your faith and support are indeed our strength. So that we may save the world as those who act on your faith, please lend us your strength at the Year-End this year as well…”

There was no problem whatsoever with the content. However, Elbridge tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the leading paladin.

The paladin’s unnatural smile.

A voice that cut off occasionally, as if his throat were choked.

Eyes trembling faintly.

More than anything, what felt strange was his gaze. The leading paladin could not meet the crowd’s eyes even while giving the speech.

His gaze merely wandered distractedly above the people’s heads, rather than at the crowd.

So that thought was not Elbridge’s alone.

“That guy, isn’t he a bit strange?”

To Rombel’s question, Elbridge answered.

“He looks that way to me too. He is avoiding people’s eyes just like a kid who stole a silver coin.”

“What do you want to do?”

“There’s no need to weigh this and that.”

Elbridge checked the emblem engraved on the speaking paladin’s armor. The Order of the Watchman.

“We kidnap him tonight.”