Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 117 - Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (Part 1)

Chapter 117 – Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (Part 1)

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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‘Is this Fort Hebron?’

Fifteen days since he departed from the city of Norens after receiving instructions to escort the supply unit and move north.

Paladin Leto arrived at Fort Hebron.

‘The stage where I will perform from now on.’

Leto took a deep breath.

What he felt was the fishy smell of iron, the smell of blood, and a bit of some unknown stench.

What met his eyes were gray buildings and fortress walls, along with knights whose faces were heavily plastered with fatigue.

Yet Leto’s eyes, looking at the knights, were filled with a light of envy.

‘If I survive long enough, I will be able to become one of them too.’

Being assigned to Fort Hebron was a proud matter.

It was proof of having one’s skills recognized in each order, and a symbol of trust that one could do their part among renowned knights.

Furthermore, it was an opportunity to make his name known to the world. Although the mortality rate was high… In a life lived only once, he was prepared to bear that much if he could leave his name in history.

Leaving behind the workers unloading supplies in the vacant lot, Leto headed deeper into Fort Hebron.

Although it was Fort Hebron that he had yearned for, he knew absolutely nothing about it.

Where in this vast fortress he should stay, where he should eat, and from whom he should receive supplies from now on.

While Leto was looking around to inspect his surroundings, someone called him.

“Hey, there.”

The owner of the voice was a man with an untrimmed beard.

His age was around his early forties. Seeing that he wore a cuirass, he was definitely a paladin.

“Did you come from the Order of the Third Hand?”

Leto checked the pattern engraved on the paladin’s cuirass. The pattern of the back of a hand resting on two palms. He was definitely a paladin belonging to the Order of the Third Hand, just like Leto.

Leto adjusted his posture and replied,

“Yes, I am Leto, a paladin of the Order of the Third Hand.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Jester.”

Leto tensed up completely. Because Jester was the most famous paladin in the Order of the Third Hand.

‘I had my doubts, but to think it is really Sir Jester.’

Jester was a veteran who had participated in five demon subjugation battles even before leaving for the North.

Since they said it had been about two years since he left for Fort Hebron, the demon subjugation battles Jester participated in by now would easily exceed ten.

Jester said,

“It has been almost half a year since a junior of the order came north. You look young… How old are you?”

“I am twenty-five.”

“A good age. Leto, are you tired?”

At Jester’s question, Leto replied with a voice full of energy,

“Not at all. I am so full of energy that I could leave for the battlefield right now.”

“Good. But there is no need to go to the battlefield. I will tell you about fortress life, so leave your luggage in the barracks. Over there, you can unpack your things in any empty spot in Barracks 7.”

“Understood!”

It was only natural for a senior knight to help a junior.

Yet Leto was highly excited. To think that no ordinary knight, but none other than Sir Jester himself would personally guide him through Fort Hebron.

‘I must brag about this when I return to the order.’

Leto’s steps heading toward the barracks were hurried.

It could not be helped since Sir Jester, whom he admired, was waiting for him.

And fortunately, Leto discovered an exceptionally youthful face near the barracks.

Could he be seventeen or eighteen years old? A young man who, at most, looked to be barely twenty.

If someone that young was in Fort Hebron, the possibility was one of two.

Either a worker who took charge of the chores in the fortress, or a knight’s squire.

Leto scanned the young man.

Comfortable clothing. However, his back was straight, his shoulders were square, and solid muscles were visible on his forearms.

‘A squire.’

A knight teaches a squire and sometimes becomes their sponsor.

In return, the squire follows the knight around and takes charge of all sorts of minor errands. Should they be called the knight’s exclusive errand runner and disciple?

Leto called the young man,

“Hey.”

The young man did not react to Leto’s call.

Leto called the young man again,

“Hey, you over there.”

Only then did the young man stare at Leto with a blank expression.

Leto clicked his tongue inwardly. For a squire to have such little wits.

“Come here.”

The young man meekly approached Leto. Leto dumped his luggage onto the young man and said,

“Take this to Barracks 7. Just put it in any empty spot.”

In principle, a squire is only supposed to run errands for the knight they serve.

However, that was only the principle, and it was extremely common for them to run errands for other knights as well. Because even if the squire became a knight in the future, the existing knights would be their seniors.

Of course, it was a bit awkward to order someone to run errands from their very first meeting. But it would be better than keeping Sir Jester waiting.

The young man wore a subtle expression, then received Leto’s luggage and entered the barracks.

Having dumped his luggage on the squire, Leto immediately returned to Sir Jester.

However, Sir Jester’s expression was unusual.

“Leto, what did you just do?”

“Pardon? Ah… I left my luggage with someone. Lest you be waiting, Sir.”

“I do not mind waiting a little. Go back immediately and get your luggage back. Handle your own business yourself.”

Instead of moving immediately, Leto thought about the reason Sir Jester was saying such a thing.

Since ordering a squire to run errands was a common occurrence, there was no way it would be a problem.

‘Yet for Sir Jester to show such a reaction…’

Leto found his own answer.

“Is the knight served by that squire someone high-ranking?”

“A squire?”

Jester’s eyebrows twitched. It seemed his prediction was off.

“Nonsense. El is no squire. He is an official paladin.”

So that fellow’s name earlier was El.

But it was a story hard to accept. There was no way someone that young was an official paladin.

‘Is he playing a prank as an initiation?’

Leto tentatively probed Jester,

“He was too young to be a paladin. Are you not confusing him with someone else?”

“Leto, do you think my eyes are buttonholes? Go to the barracks immediately.”

Seeing his reaction, it did not seem to be a joke.

To receive a scolding from Sir Jester at their very first meeting. Leto replied with a powerless voice,

“…I will be right back.”

Leto, returning to the barracks, encountered El coming out of the barracks.

If he came out of the barracks this quickly, it was certain that he had not even done any simple sorting of the luggage.

Of course, he was in no position to point out El’s behavior.

Because in the first place, El was no squire. By all accounts, a knight must respect other knights, regardless of age.

Leto spoke in a friendly tone,

“I am Leto, a paladin of the Order of the Third Hand. You looked so young that I mistook you for a squire and made a mistake.”

“…”

“You may treat me like a close older brother. Let’s get along well from now on.”

El replied with a lukewarm expression,

“Getting along well is one thing, but I just hope we can see each other for a long time.”

“…”

“Let’s avoid meeting on the battlefield if possible.”

El spat out an answer that sounded considerably obnoxious and disappeared.

Leto returned to Jester and complained,

“That kid is a bit obnoxious.”

“Why? What did El say?”

“He mumbled something like, ‘I hope we can see each other for a long time. Let’s avoid meeting on the battlefield if possible.'”

Leto thought Jester would find El’s reaction displeasing.

However, Jester chuckled.

“It is because his puberty came a bit late. In the past, he was cute and amiable, but lately, the kid’s personality got a bit twisted. He snaps at people he meets for the first time.”

“…Lately?”

His personality being twisted lately meant that it was not twisted in the past.

Which meant Jester had known El since quite a long time ago.

“When I first came to Fort Hebron, El was already in this fortress. This year will probably be his third year.”

“By the way, how old is that kid?”

“Seventeen or eighteen.”

Even if he were eighteen, and even if it were the third calendar year, it meant he had come to Fort Hebron at sixteen.

A situation that made no sense in various ways.

“Just which crazy religious order sends a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old child to Fort Hebron?”

“The Rusty Shield.”

Leto was left speechless.

Although it was his first time meeting one, he had heard the name of the Order of the Rusty Shield and the rumors surrounding it.

An order that, despite holding nearly twenty seats, could never seem to have the number of its paladins exceed ten. An order where, when numbers were low, one could count its paladins with a single hand.

Leto said like a sigh,

“At such a young age… Of all orders, why must it be…”

Jester smiled widely and slung his arm over Leto’s shoulder.

“Leto, this is no time to worry about others. The fellow who came half a year ago, and the fellow who came before him, they all spoke like you. Yet those fellows died before El. That is why you are here.”

“…”

“And, avoiding meeting on the battlefield if possible is no curse. In a normal battle, there is no reason to encounter the Order of the Rusty Shield. Encountering the Order of the Rusty Shield on the battlefield is proof that the situation is going badly.”

Leto wanted to achieve military merit and make his name famous.

But that did not mean he held his life lightly. If possible, would it not be better to survive and become famous?

“There are three paladins of the Order of the Rusty Shield in Fort Hebron. It is best to encounter them only inside the fortress. Still, you never know when you might have to plead for their help, so it would be good to stay on good terms with them.”

*

Leto’s life in Fort Hebron was surprisingly peaceful.

All he had done for three days was recover from the fatigue of his journey and bring up his physical condition.

However, around lunchtime on the fourth day, Leto heard a loud horn sound.

‘What is happening?’

Although it was the first time hearing that horn, he could tell that something had happened.

Because the knights who had been scattered here and there were flocking to the barracks.

Leto also returned to the barracks following the others.

Jester was already in the middle of putting on his armor. Leto put on his armor tactfully and asked Jester,

“Sir Jester, has something happened?”

“It seems a troublesome demon has appeared. You might have to go out to battle too, so prepare.”

At that moment, the sound of horses’ hooves was heard.

Clack-clack, clack-clack, clack-clack—

Leto tightened the leather straps of his armor and looked out the window.

He saw seven mounted knights rushing out of the fortress.

“Those people…”

“The Quick Response Team.”

Horses are precious animals. Even more so if they are warhorses and not ordinary pack horses.

Unlike pack horses, which are fine eating only grass, warhorses must be fed grains like oats or beans.

Since Fort Hebron was a place where food was hard to come by, they could not maintain many warhorses.

Just being able to ride a precious warhorse in Fort Hebron was proof of the Quick Response Team’s skills.

Leto muttered,

“Splendid. Does that not mean they are the best experts in this fortress?”

“That is not so. There is the Quick Response Team, and there is a separate Immediate Response Team.”

“Immediate Response Team?”

Jester did not explain what the Immediate Response Team was. However, before long, Leto quickly found out what it was.

Leto and Jester finished arming themselves and waited for instructions near the fortress gates.

Not long after that, the fortress gates opened and the mounted knights appeared.

Jester muttered,

“Fortunately, it seems the situation was resolved at the level of the Quick Response Team.”

However, the head count was a bit strange.

The Quick Response Team that rode out had seven members, but those returning now were nine people.

Two people, who were not visible even when they set out, returned together with the Quick Response Team.

One green-eyed paladin, and one paladin who looked rugged like a bandit.

The expression ‘Immediate Response Team’ must refer to them.

‘…No, there is one more person.’

The leader among the mounted paladins. A person was held in his embrace.

Because the physique of the person being held was so small, he thought it was a child at first.

However, that was no child, but a corpse. A corpse whose lower half was roughly torn away.

A face turned pale from massive blood loss, and a body swaying powerlessly to the horse’s steps without the slightest movement.

At that rate, should he not describe it as half a person rather than one person?

He had seen many horrific corpses until now.

He also knew that many deaths occurred in Fort Hebron.

Yet Leto could not conceal his complicated feelings. Because the face of that corpse was familiar.

“El… has died.”

Then Jester replied,

“He is not dead.”

“Can you not see that appearance?”

“Among the authorities bestowed by the Goddess of the Rusty Shield is one called delayed death. As long as the head, heart, and lungs are intact, one can preserve their life. Though I am not quite sure if both lungs are required, or just one.”

Leto checked El’s condition again.

Only his two legs were torn off and the bleeding was severe, but his upper body was in a ‘relatively’ better state.

“Still, it is rare for El to be injured to that extent… That was a close call.”

“Can he be treated?”

“Of course. By tomorrow morning, he will be able to walk.”

Among the paladins who returned with the Quick Response Team, the green-eyed paladin carried El, who had only his upper body left, on his back.

The rugged-looking paladin also disappeared toward the infirmary with them. The exact same pattern was engraved on the armor of the three men.

Leto stared at them blankly, then headed toward the infirmary as if possessed.