Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 108 - Mysterious Attacker

Chapter 108 – Mysterious Attacker

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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After the brief speech ended, the paladins scattered to their respective orders.

The residents of Norens also moved along, following the paladins.

“Let’s follow.”

Elbridge and Rombel also blended naturally into the crowd.

Clank, clank—

The paladins were visibly exhausted due to the combat and movement.

However, they squared their shoulders before the crowd and walked proudly with faint smiles on their faces. There were also several paladins waving their hands to the children.

An unmistakable pride could be seen on their faces.

‘I must have been like that in the past too.’

The paladins of the Order of the Watchman arrived at the temple while receiving the people’s warm hospitality.

The priests of the order stood in a line in front of the temple, waiting for the paladins.

A dais was prepared in front of the priests, and a snow-white cloth was placed upon it.

The leading paladin, that is, the man who could not meet the people’s eyes even while speaking in front of them earlier, spoke.

“Chief Paladin Gareth and sixteen others. We have temporarily returned.”

Gareth. Gareth. Elbridge muttered softly, committing his name to memory.

The priest standing at the very front, an old man who was in all likelihood the archbishop, spoke.

“Brothers. Welcome back to the Hall of the Watchman, the one who gazes the farthest.”

It was not only the surviving paladins who returned. The traces of the paladins who had failed to survive returned to the temple as well.

The paladins who carried two swords each stepped forward and placed one sword down on the snow-white cloth.

“Yates’s sword.”

“Helga’s sword.”

“Dorian’s sword.”

The paladins called out the names of their deceased comrades as they laid down the swords.

A middle-aged woman watching the scene fainted and collapsed. She was a woman whose hands had been trembling violently ever since the paladins returned.

A small commotion spread through the crowd.

“Ma’am, ma’am! Wake up!”

Though no one explained it to them, Elbridge and Rombel knew all too well what the situation was. Her husband or child who had gone to the battlefield must have failed to return.

Among the crowd, there were several people with red-rimmed eyes. In all probability, they too were the bereaved families of the paladins who did not return.

Finally, all the swords were laid upon the dais. The number of those who had failed to return was eleven.

A heavy silence seemed to weigh down the surroundings.

Chief Paladin Gareth softly intoned.

“For death is not the end, but merely a brief rest.”

The other paladins responded in unison.

“For the brothers will return one day to become the watchmen of the North once more.”

Lastly, the believers answered.

“Standing atop the watchtower in their stead, we wait for the day our brothers return.”

Priests, paladins, and the vast crowd. Everyone closed their eyes.

Although it was not a long prayer, it was one that possessed something that resonated with human hearts.

Elbridge and Rombel also closed their eyes together, mourning the deceased whom they did not even know.

It did not matter for what reason such a situation had occurred. The devotion of the deceased paladins was worthy of respect in itself.

Elbridge, eyes closed, chewed over the first words of the Chief Paladin.

‘For death is not the end, but merely a brief rest.’

What lay beyond death?

There were various opinions regarding what process the deceased went through after death.

However, there was no disagreement that the dead were reborn with new bodies. It was a fact confirmed by numerous gods through their oracles.

Though the physical body had a lifespan, the soul was immortal.

Sooner or later, the deceased would be reborn. Although it was impossible to know whether they would return to the Order of the Watchman.

The moment of silence ended, and the people opened their eyes.

As if the atmosphere had never been heavy, the people, excluding the bereaved families, had somewhat excited airs.

Chief Paladin Gareth spoke in a booming voice toward the archbishop, and toward the statue of the Watchman looking down at everyone inside the temple.

“By the devotion of our Order of the Watchman and the protection of the god, the expedition was not ambushed even once by magic beasts and demons! We eradicated dozens and hundreds of magic beasts! And we sealed away two demons…”

Gareth proudly reported the achievements before the crowd.

Although it was formally a report to the god and the archbishop, in reality, it was a shout aimed at the surrounding crowd.

“He’s working hard to promote the order.”

As Rombel muttered, Elbridge answered.

“It’s the most desirable promotion method. First you create results, and then you request support based on those results, right?”

Until not long ago, the order’s seats were a matter of pride.

However, now the seats were directly linked to the survival of the order and the individual paladin’s own life.

Although everyone knew there was a new life after death, survival was still a human’s most powerful motivation. Requesting support from the public to obtain more seats was by no means an embarrassing thing.

By the time the short welcoming ceremony ended, the sun had already set, leaving only a faint dusk in the western sky.

The paladins who finished reporting scattered here and there once more. Those without homes to the temple, and those with homes to their respective houses.

And Gareth, the Chief Paladin of the Order of the Watchman, headed out of the temple.

“Let’s follow.”

Elbridge and Rombel hid themselves in the thin darkness and followed behind Gareth.

—Elbridge. It seems like there have been many occasions of you moving stealthily lately.

Currently, Elbridge wore a hooded robe instead of armor, possessing only a single short dagger. He was even moving while killing his footsteps like a petty thief.

Because it was a look unlike a paladin even in his own thoughts, Elbridge spoke awkwardly.

“I know it is not a pleasant sight. My apologies.”

—It is not that, but that it is somehow thrilling. A nervous feeling wondering what if we get caught… Things like this are not bad either.

“…”

Gareth arrived at a cozy house at the edge of the city.

There was no one who came out to greet Gareth, nor any candle welcoming his return.

‘Is he single? Perfect.’

Elbridge and Rombel did not follow Gareth inside immediately.

Instead, they hid themselves a short distance away.

“Let’s wait a moment.”

Since Gareth must have been exhausted, he would fall asleep quickly.

With the intention of quietly subduing the sleeping Gareth, Elbridge and Rombel waited silently.

How much time passed like that? Just as Elbridge was about to move.

Ssshk.

There were human figures approaching Gareth’s house.

The headcount was three. All of them masked their faces, and their movements were stealthy and swift. To the extent that footsteps could not be heard even if one listened closely.

‘They are not ordinary people.’

Without making any sound, the door opened.

The three masked figures vanished inside Gareth’s house.

Rombel, flustered, asked.

“What are those guys? Are they partners?”

“I don’t know. Let’s approach for now.”

Elbridge and Rombel moved stealthily and arrived in front of Gareth’s house.

Although they had never trained assuming such a situation, they knew well that rushing into the house blindly was a poor tactic.

‘I must grasp the situation inside even a little.’

Elbridge pressed his ear against the wall beside the door, listening closely to the sounds coming from inside.

“…”

No sound whatsoever came from inside the house.

All that could be heard was the dwarf’s characteristically loud breathing.

‘What should I do?’

Should I enter, or should I wait?

Elbridge looked at Rombel with the intention of asking for his opinion. However, Rombel was looking at Elbridge with a somewhat blank expression.

A state where he entirely left the decision to Elbridge.

‘…It would have been better if I had brought Marcus instead of Rombel.’

Elbridge concentrated his senses a bit more. The faint presence of the goddess was felt.

However, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield did not hand down any oracle. She was merely waiting for Elbridge’s judgment with great excitement.

‘…’

At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down Elbridge’s spine. His intuition clamored.

Yet, Elbridge still could not detect any sound or movement.

‘What is the problem?’

He did not know. However, Elbridge moved his body following his instinct.

He grabbed the collar of Rombel, who had his hood pulled down low, and pulled him back forcefully.

Stumble.

At Elbridge’s sudden action, Rombel lost his balance and was dragged over.

Thwack.

At that instant, a blade pierced through the wall beside the door, protruding out by two spans.

It was chilling. If Elbridge had not pulled Rombel back, Rombel’s neck would have been pierced by now.

‘How did they determine Rombel’s position?’

The answer came to mind instantly. It was due to the dwarf’s characteristically loud breathing.

Since dwarfs were, in many ways, a race far removed from stealthy movements.

저 공격이 가레스의 소행인지, 혹은 뒤늦게 들어간 괴한의 소행인지는 모른다.

하지만 집 안의 누군가가 엘브리지와 롬벨의 존재를 눈치챘다는 것만은 확실하다.

롬벨은 여전히 상황을 제대로 파악하지 못했고, 녹슨 방패의 여신은 이런 상황에서 조언을 해줄 만한 신이 아니다.

예상치 못한 상황에서 믿을 건 자신의 판단뿐. 엘브리지의 사고가 가속했다.

‘What should I do?’

The safest choice was fleeing immediately.

However, that was merely a safe choice, not the best choice.

Elbridge was not a person who wished for a perfect victory without even a single minor scratch. He was one who accepted injuries to slash the opponent’s vital spot and end the battle swiftly.

His attitude toward life was the same. Elbridge wanted to obtain more clues and information even if he had to risk danger. Clues that might vanish like water mist if he missed tonight.

The decision concluded in an instant.

Crash!

Elbridge immediately kicked the door and entered the house.

A human figure standing beside the door could be caught disappearing inside. It was one of the three mysterious attackers who had infiltrated Gareth’s house.

They must not have known that Elbridge and Rombel would avoid the ambush, nor that Elbridge would leap inside the house.

Elbridge pulled the hood of his robe down even deeper and shouted to Rombel.

“Catch them!”

The only weapon Elbridge possessed was a single dagger inside his robe.

For Rombel, the situation was even worse. All Rombel possessed was his two thick fists.

However, they had no intention of backing down just because the conditions were poor. Besides, they had the confidence to subdue average opponents with bare fists.

Patter, patter, patter!

Elbridge and Rombel ran in the direction where the mysterious attacker had vanished. Passing a space that looked like a living room, into the inner room.

However, that room was not a dead end.

Beyond the wide-open window, the three mysterious attackers could be seen fleeing while carrying a limp person on one of their backs. Under the circumstances, the limp person was undoubtedly Gareth.

Leap—

Elbridge also flung his body out the window. Rombel also deftly pulled his thick body through the window.

The mysterious attackers could be seen trying to enter a small forest at the edge of the city. Whether it was just his imagination, their movements suddenly seemed to become swifter.

‘No. They actually became faster.’

Even for Elbridge, there was no certainty that he could keep up with that level of speed. Even more so with the slightly slow Rombel.

Ultimately, Elbridge drew his dagger.

Whew—

Elbridge concentrated his mind even while running after the mysterious attackers.

A person tended to maintain concentration better when moving than when standing still.

Elbridge pulled back his shoulder holding the dagger. His body shook violently due to running.

However, Elbridge’s senses, which had become extremely sharp, factored in even that shaking.

His mind was clear.

‘I can hit them.’

Elbridge threw the dagger.

The dagger flew while spinning and embedded itself in the back of the hindmost attacker’s thigh. A spot that could be dangerous depending on the situation.

“Ugh!”

With a short cry, one attacker rolled on the ground.

The two attackers who were ahead panicked. They had an air of contemplating whether they should take the left-behind one, or if they should escape by themselves.

‘They should have decided such a thing in advance.’

Their movements were decent, but they did not seem accustomed to sudden situations and combat.

That level of hesitation was enough. Elbridge and Rombel rushed toward them, accelerating explosively.

And just as Elbridge and Rombel were about to attack the two who were fine, one of the attackers shouted.

“Wait!”

A high voice characteristic of a female. Elbridge stopped his movement.

However, Rombel was too late. Rombel’s short and stout body was already launched into the air, and the wingless Rombel had no way to stop himself in midair.

Thud!

Rombel, who launched himself like a catapult, collided with one of the masked figures.

Rombel’s weight was far heavier than a normal human’s. As if setting up a doll and hitting it with a bat, the attacker who collided with Rombel was thrown back pathetically.

Seeing that they did not move a muscle, they seemed to have fainted.

‘They didn’t die, right?’

Now, there was only one attacker standing fine.

The attacker glared at Elbridge through the mask and spoke.

“You guys are the fellows who were at the Corner Inn, right?”

The Corner Inn was the name of the inn where Elbridge’s party stayed. Though they did not know why they attached such a name when it was not even on a corner.

Rombel had an air of tension.

“How did you know? Did you tail us?”

“Not really… It’s just that there’s no other dwarf in Norens City right now besides you.”

Rombel adjusted the hood he had pulled down deep. Even though he had moved boisterously, the hood still had not fallen off.

Rombel lowered his voice further and pressed the opponent.

“I’m asking how you knew I’m a dwarf.”

“Did you think you could hide that body shape with a robe?”

“…”

Rombel’s height barely reached a normal man’s chest. However, the thickness of his torso and limbs was more than twice that of a normal human. Dwarfs were the only race possessing such a body shape.

Instead of admitting that he had said something stupid, Rombel chose to evaluate the opponent highly.

“Ahem. Your eye for detail is outstanding. It is not of an ordinary level.”

“…”

Elbridge gestured with his chin toward the attacker.

“Put down your weapon.”

The attacker carefully laid down the sword.

Instead of approaching the female attacker, Elbridge pulled off the mask of the attacker who was groaning from the dagger wound in his thigh.

“You guys…”

They were elves. One of the elves who had extorted money while talking about Johannes and whatnot upon seeing the meat.

The female also removed her mask. Sure enough, the long ears unique to elves were revealed.

Elbridge let out a deep sigh.

“Beyond extorting money, were you trying to take a hostage and demand a ransom?”

At that, the female elf let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

“No… It is by no means just something like that. This is something far more important. Something you guys have no way of knowing.”

There was no detailed explanation. Elbridge felt like he knew what the elves’ business was.

“I suppose you are digging into where the demons appeared from?”

It was clear he had hit the nail on the head.

For the two elves who had not lost consciousness simultaneously inhaled sharply and widened their eyes.