Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 115 - Silver-Gray Knight (Part 3)

Chapter 115 – Silver-Gray Knight (Part 3)

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Until just a moment ago, Elbridge had been waiting on the fortress wall for the knights’ battle.

‘It’s not a situation for me to step in.’

Elbridge knew well how much was riding on him.

Rombel’s ascension, the expectations of the God of the Sunshower, Sonya’s revenge, the future of the order and the goddess, and perhaps even the fate of this world, at least a little bit.

Of course, Elbridge had never promised to grant their wishes.

However, people gathered by Elbridge’s side with their own desires, and Elbridge was not cold-hearted enough to ignore their wishes while knowing them.

Elbridge could not risk his life in the wrong place.

But seeing the knights approaching the demon, he felt as if a corner of his chest was tightly blocked.

‘I clearly warned them.’

All Elbridge could do now was hope that luck would be on their side and they would survive.

At first, the situation seemed to be flowing along reasonably well.

However, the moment the demon skillfully responded, clashing divine powers and digging in between the people, the direction of the battle was decided.

Exactly the same flow Elbridge had predicted and warned about.

‘It was Count Hebron and them who did not listen to my warning.’

Just as he was thinking that and trying to turn his head away, someone caught Elbridge’s eye.

An old knight who had sent the other knights to retreat and remained alone on the battlefield.

Elbridge’s heart sank.

Because in the back of the old knight, whose order he did not even know, he saw his own past self and the figures of his senior paladins.

The one person who remained on the battlefield until the very end.

It was possible that there would be no one volunteering for such a role.

But if someone was to remain, it had always been the duty of the Order of the Rusty Shield.

Because that was the very identity of the order, and the virtue Elbridge held with pride.

Elbridge before he knew it threw himself over the railing of the fortress.

He slid down the steep, cliff-like wall, half-falling as he headed out of the fortress.

Seeing how precarious it looked, Count Hebron and Murbach were horrified.

“What are you trying to do! Come back!”

However, Elbridge did not hear their shouts. Because an oracle descended as if it had been waiting.

– I knew you would, Elbridge.

“…I am sorry.”

Among the things Elbridge carried, the heaviest was the future of the order and the goddess. It was also the only thing Elbridge had promised to someone.

If Elbridge died, the Order of the Rusty Shield would surely fall. Because that was what it meant to concentrate all the order’s strength into a single person.

– There is no need to be sorry. An order that has lost its identity has no value.

…

– Elbridge. Your goddess is not so narrow-minded. On your way to the battlefield, she only hopes that you will lay down all your lingering regrets and burdens.

Elbridge nodded and looked ahead again. He saw the demon raising its four swords, showing respect to the old knight.

Following that, the demon swung a sword.

Clang—

The old knight raised his sword and blocked the demon’s attack.

From that single clash, Elbridge realized two facts.

That the demon had held back its strength, and that the old knight’s skill was mediocre. The old knight’s posture was a bit clumsy and unstable.

The demon swung again. A sword trajectory slicing diagonally from bottom to top.

A sword moving from top to bottom could carry great force. Conversely, it was difficult to put enough power into a sword rising from bottom to top. However, an upward sword was far more effective at breaking the opponent’s balance. The demon knew this fact, but the inexperienced old knight did not.

The old knight blocked the attack this time as well, but lost his balance.

Practically the moment the outcome of the battle was decided.

The demon’s sword aimed for the old knight’s neck. Just as another victim was about to be added, Elbridge’s sword, thrust out with all his might, intervened in the demon’s trajectory, producing a harsh metallic screech. Screeech—

Elbridge said to the old knight,

“Step back.”

The demon roughly shook off its sword that was in contact with Elbridge’s.

A metallic sound rang out once again between the two swords.

It was impossible to tell what kind of expression the demon wore inside its helmet, or what kind of body lay within that armor. However, by the demon’s gestures and atmosphere alone, Elbridge could guess that the demon was displeased.

After all, an intruder had interrupted before the battle could be concluded, so it was bound to be dissatisfied.

As Elbridge instructed, the old knight retreated a few steps.

Just like everyone he had seen so far, the old knight would probably flee from the battlefield in a hurry.

However, the old knight acted slightly differently from Elbridge’s expectations.

Instead of fleeing immediately, he sheathed his sword and placed it on the ground.

A knight laying down his sword meant accepting defeat.

If it were a friendly sparring match, it might be fine, but it was not an action to be shown in a battle against a demon. Knights and paladins did not accept defeat before a demon.

Sensing Elbridge’s gaze, the old knight spoke as if making an excuse.

“Did that demon not show respect to me as well?”

“…”

The old knight must have lived a life far removed from real combat. That was probably why he did not know to whom he should show respect and to whom he did not need to.

“Please leave this place.”

When Elbridge spoke once more, only then did the old knight depart toward the fortress.

A strange tension flowed between the demon and Elbridge.

The demon waited a moment until the old knight was sufficiently far away, then picked up the sword the old knight had left behind. The old knight’s sword crumbled into fine powder and scattered into the air.

Then, just as it had done for the old knight, the demon raised its four swords straight up to show respect to Elbridge.

A demon acting like a knight. How ridiculous.

Even while thinking so, Elbridge tapped his shield a couple of times with the flat of his blade. Like any knight facing a duel.

Elbridge composed his breathing.

In his right hand was the sword forged by Rombel. In his left hand was the shield left behind by Leonhardt.

Conversely, the swords held in the demon’s hands numbered four.

The demon had used only a single sword when dealing with the old knight. But expecting it to fight that way now was a foolish hope.

Sure enough, the demon tilted its four swords diagonally, preparing for battle.

‘How do I defend against four swords with one sword and one shield?’

Before he could even organize his thoughts, the demon began to move. Elbridge also advanced toward the demon.

Tread, tread. After walking a few steps, the strides of the demon and Elbridge grew shorter.

Adjusting their strides meant that the demon and Elbridge were measuring the distance between them, and that the clash of offense and defense was about to begin.

Whoosh—

The four swords began to draw their respective trajectories.

Elbridge’s eyes followed the positions of the swords. Simultaneously, Elbridge traced the paths along which the demon’s swords would move forward.

Four curves drawn as if rotating, with the four shoulders acting as axes.

Elbridge gauged the position and moment where those curves would gather closest. Elbridge swung his shield to bind three of the sword paths. At the same time, he parried one sword path with his sword.

‘I blocked it.’

The movement itself was not difficult, but the process of finding this movement was no easy feat.

An answer found half through sensation, half through luck.

‘Its physical strength is not much different from that of an ordinary knight or paladin.’

Elbridge stepped closer into the demon’s embrace, pushing his shield forward. The four swords were swung once more. This time too, the demon’s sword paths were cut off upon contacting Elbridge’s shield.

A situation that could not be dealt with by judgment alone, relying more than half on intuition. It would not be strange to permit a fatal blow at any moment.

Yet, rather than fear and helplessness, a different impression came to the forefront.

‘It is superb swordsmanship.’

The demon’s swordsmanship was strangely clean.

Swordsmanship without a single speck of superfluity or shallow deception.

Because the demon’s sword was straight, grasping the sword paths was not difficult. However, there was no way to penetrate.

Since being released from the seal, Elbridge had never met anyone who could give him instruction. Elbridge had always been in the position of imparting teachings to others.

But this demon was different. Despite being neither human nor elf, it possessed the skill to guide Elbridge.

If he survived this battle, growth would surely follow.

‘If I survive.’

Elbridge captured the demon’s swords in his eyes with senses honed to the absolute limit.

While a tense, precarious exchange of blows continued for a moment, Elbridge’s shield missed one of the demon’s swords.

‘Ah.’

The demon’s sword bypassed the shield.

A chill ran down his spine. It was a situation where his shoulder would be sliced by the demon’s sword.

Being cut on the shoulder was no simple injury. The injury would widen the gap between Elbridge and the demon significantly, and that gap would present Elbridge with a defeat devoid of any variables.

‘But I have no countermeasure.’

The moment tension naturally built in Elbridge’s shoulders, the demon retrieved its four swords and crossed them.

Immediately after, something heavy grazed Elbridge’s ear and flew toward the demon.

A subsequent roar.

Boom!

Only then could Elbridge confirm what had flown from behind.

It was an axe. A massive double-bitted axe.

Elbridge backed away slightly from the demon and looked back.

As expected, Rombel was visible. A bit behind Rombel stood Marcus and Sonya, and slightly further away, the three elves were standing.

The problem was that even the distance between Elbridge and Rombel, who was the closest, was over thirty paces.

To throw an axe from that distance so close that it grazed his ear. Elbridge grumbled in vain.

“My head was almost split open by your axe, not the demon.”

“Then, should I have just left you alone?”

“…Well.”

If an ordinary person had thrown an axe from such a distance, it would have been reckless bravado.

But Rombel was different.

Those who did not know Rombel often thought his greatest strength was physical power. It was understandable to feel that way, seeing a dwarf whose forearms were as thick as an ordinary person’s waist swinging a massive axe.

However, Rombel’s greatest strength lay not in power, but in unrivaled precision.

The dwarven craftsmanship that could engrave complex patterns on jewelry smaller than a fingernail. A sense that belonged to the sharpest even among dwarves.

The God of the Steel Anvil could not bestow combat-related authorities.

Nevertheless, the reason Rombel could survive on the battlefield was entirely thanks to that precision.

Rombel used to say that he could even shave someone by swinging his axe with both hands.

Since there were no volunteers, it was impossible to confirm if it was true, but it was not an story to be dismissed simply as a joke.

“Hmm…”

Rombel’s gaze directed toward the axe fallen on the ground.

If he could not retrieve the axe lying at the demon’s feet, Rombel could not intervene in the battle again. And there was no way the demon would return the axe willingly.

Marcus was in a strangely half-bent posture, perhaps seeking an opportunity to jump into the battle. But Marcus was still lacking in capacity.

The same went for Sonya. Sonya was a fairly useful mage, but she was unfamiliar with combat, so it was unclear whether her intervention would be a gain or a loss.

The demon silently stared at Elbridge.

Just like when Elbridge thrust out his sword to save the old knight, the demon showed a slightly displeased sign.

Elbridge only now realized the reason the demon showed such a reaction.

That demon was, at least in part, a knight. A knight who desired a fair and square duel.

That was why it had personally killed the magic beast that interrupted the battle, acted cruelly toward enemies relying on numbers to charge, and respected the old knight who remained alone.

Surviving by luck once was enough.

Elbridge gestured to Rombel.

‘Do not interfere, just wait.’

Ultimately, the battle returned to Elbridge’s hands once more.

At that moment, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield handed down an oracle.

– Elbridge. A long time has passed, yet you have not been able to fix your old habit.

Elbridge knew what habit the Goddess of the Rusty Shield was speaking of.

The habit of failing to completely trust himself in the end, even in situations pushed to the extreme.

“I know that I am not the best.”

That was the reason behind Elbridge’s habit, and also one of the reasons he volunteered to be trapped in the seal.

The reason Elbridge could throw himself away as a discard was because he knew he was not the most important piece.

However, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield did not treat Elbridge that way. Not in the distant past, and not now.

– Elbridge. My most cherished child. Do you remember the day your goddess handed down her first oracle?

Before being trapped in the seal, Elbridge had received a total of two oracles from the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.

Elbridge still remembered that situation and the content of that oracle vividly.

“I do.”

Elbridge took a deep breath and offered the same prayer as the day he received the first oracle.

“Goddess. Please bestow an authority upon me.”

The goddess’s reply was also the same.

– What authority do you desire, Elbridge?

Neither the authority of blockade, the authority of no retreat, delayed death, nor any other authority would be of great help in the current duel.

What Elbridge needed on the day he received the first oracle. And what he needed even now.

It was conviction. Conviction in himself.

“Please take away all the fear I possess.”

That was not an authority possessed by the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.

However, it was certainly a strength the Goddess of the Rusty Shield could bestow.

The Goddess of the Rusty Shield spoke.

– Go, Elbridge. I shall stake my divine throne.

Fuuu.

Elbridge exhaled his breath deeply.

Then he walked trudgingly toward the silver-gray knight. The silver-gray knight also approached Elbridge.

And simultaneously, the strides of the silver-gray knight and Elbridge shortened.

That there was no chance of winning in a long fight. Elbridge knew that better than anyone.

‘The chance to seize victory is once.’

With his shield leading, Elbridge kicked off the ground with all his might.