Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 116 - Silver-Gray Knight (Part 4)
Chapter 116 – Silver-Gray Knight (Part 4)
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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If one was confident that their skill was superior, there was no reason to rush the outcome.
However, the silver-gray knight was better at tactical maneuvering than Elbridge, and possessed sword paths so clean that they were among the best Elbridge had ever seen or experienced.
‘…And it has four arms.’
Elbridge’s defense could not be perfect, and as the battle dragged on, it was as clear as day that injuries would accumulate and the chances of winning would drop.
It was an inevitable choice for Elbridge to risk danger and seek an opportunity.
‘If it drags on, I will lose unconditionally. I have to dig in deeply all at once.’
Elbridge put all his strength into both legs, lowered his posture as much as possible, and kicked off the ground.
Tap.
The most comfortable height for a swordsman to attack is from the thigh to the shoulder.
Elbridge lowered his stance to an excessive degree because he hoped that it would make the silver-gray knight’s posture even slightly uncomfortable.
And actually, it was highly likely to be so. Because the silver-gray knight’s height was more than half again as tall as Elbridge.
However, it was a dangerous choice for Elbridge as well.
If he lowered his stance, he had to bear attacks plunging down from above rather than the front. Since Elbridge did not have eyes on the back of his head or his crown, he could not watch and respond to the silver-gray knight’s attacks. The offense and defense that would follow from now on was entirely the realm of intuition.
‘I know this is crazy.’
However, Elbridge had prayed to the goddess to take away all his fears.
So, now Elbridge had to fight like a man without fear.
Judgment, intuition, insight, and the movements of the silver-gray knight captured in his eyes while exchanging blows until now.
He had to draw the demon’s attacks utilizing all of those.
‘I can do it.’
The information Elbridge, who had lowered his posture and gaze, could obtain was extremely limited.
In order to not miss even the limited information, Elbridge fixed his eyes at the silver-gray knight’s feet.
Scrape—
The sabaton wrapping the silver-gray knight’s foot moved as if twisting, making a sound scraping the ground.
Swordsmanship performed only by the upper body does not exist. All sword strikes of knights and paladins are preceded by the movement of legs and feet.
Elbridge envisioned the attack the silver-gray knight would unfold in his head through the tiny movements of the sabaton, shin guards, and greaves.
It was an inaccurate guess.
No, if it could even be expressed as a guess, it would be fortunate. More than half might be imagination.
However, Elbridge trusted his intuition and split-second judgment, swinging his shield roughly toward his head and back. And,
Clack.
‘Blocked.’
He parried the silver-gray knight’s sword with a shield thrust out without looking. A massive sense of excitement covered Elbridge’s mind. It was the thrill of someone who had returned alive from the threshold of death.
But this could not be all.
Elbridge’s reason warned him. That luck would not strike twice, and that he should raise his stance immediately, regain his balance, and prepare for the next attack.
He knew that the voice of reason was wise. Yet Elbridge acted contrary to reason’s cry, lowering his posture even further and taking another step forward.
This was neither sparring, nor a fight to cleanly suppress the opponent without any injuries. It was real combat where, even if one sustained heavy injuries, killing the opponent meant victory. Elbridge was prepared to endure severe wounds to kill his opponent.
The silver-gray knight’s feet and knees moved once more.
Elbridge noticed that a new sword strike was coming.
However, Elbridge did not defend against the attack. Instead, Elbridge drove his sword into the silver-gray knight’s knee, putting all his body weight into it.
Crunch.
The silver-gray knight could not respond to such a radical attack that defied common sense.
The sensation of the blade squeezing through the armor, the feeling of something inside the armor being pierced, was felt through the sword. Yes. So there was indeed flesh inside that armor.
Now, it was Elbridge’s turn to pay the price.
The blade plunging from above shattered Elbridge’s left shoulder blade and dug into the boundary between his back and shoulder.
The only silver lining was that the moment he was pierced by the sword, he felt not pain, but only a hot sensation and a foreign feeling.
Because of that, Elbridge was able to avoid stopping.
With all his weight and speed, Elbridge shoved the silver-gray knight’s other knee, the one not pierced by his sword, with his right shoulder.
The blade lodged in his back was clearly felt tearing through his body. Without a doubt, it was the roughest charge he had ever made in his lifetime.
No matter how much of a demon it was, it could not withstand such a charge while standing on one leg.
Lurch. The silver-gray knight’s balance faltered. The silver-gray knight fell.
Elbridge roughly rose to his feet, pulling out the sword that was embedded in the silver-gray knight’s knee.
Then, he plunged the sword through the gap in the silver-gray knight’s helmet. The sensation of piercing something inside the helmet was felt.
“…!”
Yet, at the same time, he had an intuition.
He had pierced the head, but this was not a deciding blow.
This silver-gray knight was a demon, not a human. Specifically, an entity whose vital spot lay near the heart, not the head or neck.
Because the silver-gray knight’s behavior was so similar to a human’s, he had unconsciously judged that the head would be the vital spot.
‘Damn it.’
The silver-gray knight, who had fallen, slowly raised its upper body with the sword still lodged in its head.
And it stood up on the leg that had not been pierced by the sword.
Delayed pain poured in from around his back and shoulder. What was even more important than the pain was the functional issue. Elbridge could not move his left arm or his upper body as he pleased.
What should he do? How could he seize even one more opportunity?
Elbridge desperately racked his brains, staring inside the silver-gray knight’s helmet.
And then, Elbridge’s eyes met the demon’s.
The silver-gray knight burst into laughter.
A low, spine-chilling laughter, like growling or scraping something, continued for a long time.
Elbridge felt the silver-gray knight’s emotions through that laughter.
It was not the emotion that ordinary demons harbored—such as anger, hatred, or resentment.
The emotion felt through the laughter right now was amusement and anticipation.
The demon pulled out Elbridge’s sword that was lodged in its head.
And it placed Elbridge’s sword on the ground.
Finally, the silver-gray knight raised its four swords straight up, briefly showing respect to Elbridge.
The silver-gray knight stared at Elbridge for a moment, then limped slightly as it departed toward somewhere.
Elbridge, and everyone in Fort Hebron, watched the back of the silver-gray knight.
Before long, the silver-gray knight went out of their sight and vanished.
*
Two days passed since then.
The disappeared silver-gray knight did not return. It was the same even when people went outside the fortress.
In this situation, the person who had laid down his greatest worry was definitely Count Hebron.
“I thought you were crazy.”
Count Hebron, as the chief officer of the fortress, had the duty to take responsibility for the lives of those staying in the fortress. He was also the one who was most anxious that the arrival of supplies would be disrupted once again.
However, thanks to Elbridge driving away the silver-gray knight, they were able to receive the supplies normally, so he had relieved his biggest worry.
“I never dreamed that there would be someone going outside the fortress in that situation. What were you thinking?”
“…I just thought that I had to do so.”
Naturally, Count Hebron looked after all kinds of conveniences for Elbridge.
Not only did he send paladins with healing authorities to check Elbridge’s condition, but he also had Elbridge’s party stay in the lord’s castle.
Since it was a fortress and not a normal fief, it was a lord’s castle that was incomparably small and simple compared to the residences of other nobles.
Yet it was far better than an inn room bed that smelled musty because the straw in the mattress had not been changed for too long. Sonya was particularly highly satisfied.
“I understood you rushing out. But I truly did not know you would fight and win against a demon that overwhelmed dozens of people.”
Elbridge corrected Count Hebron’s words.
“…I do not think I won.”
Then, Murbach, who was listening nearby, burst into laughter.
“If you drove a sword into the opponent’s head, you won. You just failed to kill it!”
It was sophistry.
However, the highly excited Count Hebron actively nodded and agreed.
“When you first told me that you belonged to the Order of the Rusty Shield, I thought I had heard that name somewhere before. It was the name of the order that secured four seats all at once this year. I did see it at the beginning of the year, but I forgot it quickly.”
Count Hebron wore a satisfied expression.
“When I asked the well-connected mercenaries, they said you are the sole paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield. I heard you are famous in the East… At any rate, it was amazing. Can a paladin who is solely granted the authority of four seats become that strong?”
The goddess’s authority had no direct relationship with this battle.
However, Elbridge had no intention of deliberately spinning such stories to displease the Goddess of the Rusty Shield. Since it was clear that the goddess’s oracle had been of help.
“Has it already become this late? Let’s finish our talk later.”
The Count and Murbach chattered a bit more and then left.
The knights passing through the lord’s castle covertly glanced at Elbridge.
It was a somewhat familiar feeling. The paladins of the Order of the Rusty Shield had been treated like this since two hundred years ago.
Only then did Elbridge exhale a deep breath and throw his body onto the bed.
When he touched the back of his left shoulder blade, the newly formed scar caught on his fingertips. Elbridge fell into thought.
‘…Somehow, the battles I have experienced lately seem to have a different texture from before.’
In the past, most of the missions Elbridge undertook were holding out, or surviving.
But the missions he carried out recently were killing, or suppression. A situation where the direction of battle had completely changed.
But thinking about it again, that was only natural.
To conduct a battle of holding out, a single premise is required. The existence of a force more powerful than oneself.
In the past, if the Order of the Rusty Shield dragged out time, knights of outstanding capacity would rush in and clean up the battlefield.
However, in this era, a force greater than Elbridge is extremely rare. Since there is no one to conclude the battle in his stead, Elbridge must end the battle himself.
For Elbridge, it was a not very welcome situation.
‘…It won’t be easy in the future either.’
Fuuu. When Elbridge let out a deep sigh, the goddess handed down an oracle.
“- You seem to have many worries, Elbridge.”
“I felt that I will need greater strength in the future.”
“- Since you are currently on the way to the Forest of Thorns, it would also be a good method to seek advice from the guardians, Elbridge.”
It was a plan Elbridge had also kept in mind.
How many earthly beings exist right now who could impart teachings to Elbridge? If he stayed in the Forest of Thorns for a while and received instruction from the Sentinels, it would be of great help for a long time to come.
‘…If I can receive their teachings.’
Elbridge’s thoughts quickly changed direction and headed toward the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.
“Goddess.”
“- Speak.”
“The day you first handed down an oracle to me. On that day too, you said you would stake your divine throne.”
“- Indeed.”
While fighting the silver-gray knight two days ago, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield handed down an oracle that she would stake her divine throne.
And over two hundred years ago, the day eighteen-year-old Elbridge received his first oracle.
On that day too, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield handed down the exact same oracle to Elbridge.
“At that time, I thought your oracle was empty words.”
“- How impious, Elbridge. Yet looking back, that was quite a good decision. Have you not still remained in the order?”
“Did you not stake something too grand compared to what you gained?”
“- Thus, there is still much for you to do in the future, Elbridge.”
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield laughed softly.
The difference between two days ago and over two hundred years ago was one.
Whether the oracle was translated into action.
Two days ago, a situation where she actually had to stake her divine throne did not occur.
However, on a certain day over two hundred years ago, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield staked her divine throne.