Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 119 - Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (Part 3)

Chapter 119 – Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (Part 3)

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Just because one was prepared to depart with only a sword did not mean they strictly had to set out with only a sword. Especially if a calm and rational companion was present.

In the dead of night, Leto and Elbridge slipped out of the fortress equipped only with light armaments and carrying a small amount of dried rations.

A fortress’s vigilance to fight against humans had to be thorough. However, the vigilance of a fortress fighting against demons or magic beasts was relatively loose. This was because demons and magic beasts that possessed anything resembling tactical comprehension were extremely rare.

Thanks to that, Elbridge and Leto faced no particular difficulty in sneaking out of Fort Hebron.

A night wind that was slightly cold, going beyond cool, welcomed the two. Leto and Elbridge pulled their cloaks tighter at the same time to block the wind, as if they had agreed beforehand.

Then, Elbridge raised his head and looked at the sky.

“Wow, wow…”

A night sky filled with stars. And the sound of mountain birds piercing through the quiet night air. It was no different from usual, but Elbridge was so excited that he did not know what to do.

If this place had been a bit further from the fortress, he might have shouted out loud.

‘Looking at him like this, he really is just a kid…’

Unlike Elbridge, whose steps were practically floating with excitement, Leto, who was at least the older of the two, fell into deep thought.

In truth, Leto was still not confident in his actions.

‘At the very least, I should have explained the situation to Sir Jester before leaving.’

However, returning to a fortress he had already left was out of the question. He feared that he might be misunderstood as a deserter knight at this rate.

…No, thinking about it, he actually had deserted. It was just that he had left the fortress not because he was afraid of battle or valued his life too much, but because he was swept up by Elbridge.

Elbridge only looked ahead, but Leto frequently glanced back. He was afraid that the knights of Fort Hebron would appear and drag him back.

Would people be able to condemn Elbridge, who had slipped out of the fortress?

Leto believed they would not.

However, if asked whether people would show a generous reaction to him as well… that was not the case. Elbridge might somehow be forgiven, but it did not seem like they would overlook him as well. Unlike Elbridge, Leto was a replaceable member.

‘Surely they wouldn’t go as far as to kill me.’

Fort Hebron was perceived more as a place one was selected to go to, rather than a place one was dragged to by force.

Since he did not run away in the middle of battle, perhaps they would show some consideration.

Well, he would be treated like an idiot for a long time to come. And he wouldn’t be able to become a legendary knight in the future either.

‘…No. With my skills anyway, I won’t be able to become a legendary knight.’

During his stay of about two months at Fort Hebron, Leto faced his own position squarely among the best knights.

He thought he might somehow manage to become a “fairly renowned” knight like Sir Jester. But he did not think he could become a legendary knight like Sir Leonhardt or Sir Brenick.

No, let alone them, it would be hard to even reach Elbridge’s level.

‘But if I take Elbridge back and have him join our order, even if I can’t become everyone’s hero, I can at least become a hero of our order. For someone like me, that’s quite…’

How long had he walked while having such thoughts? A low sound drifted from within the forest.

Rustle.

Elbridge and Leto stopped walking and stared in the direction of the noise.

It was not the sound of the wind rustling the bushes.

‘The sound of something heavy stepping on old fallen leaves.’

Glimpsed through the bushes was a bear. One magic beast transformed from a bear, and several wild bears following that magic beast.

Neither Elbridge nor Leto paid much attention to the wild bears. The only one worth paying attention to was the bear magic beast, which flowed with a dark luster.

“An enhanced-type. Judging by its luster, it looks to be between the mid and late stages.”

“At least it is fortunate that it is an enhanced-type. There won’t be any headaches, right?”

Leto and Elbridge hurriedly prepared for battle.

Humans usually had their leaders stay in the back, while those of lower rank took on dangerous roles.

But beasts were different. The leader took the lead, and they became the leader because they took the lead.

Sure enough, the bear magic beast, the leader of the pack, charged forward in the lead.

Rustle, thud. Thud!

Heavy footsteps echoed along with the sound of stepping on old fallen leaves.

The bear magic beast targeted Elbridge first, not Leto. Leto hesitated as he was about to support Elbridge.

‘Elbridge is stronger than me anyway… Rather than getting in his way by approaching, it’s better to just stay still.’

Elbridge ran toward the magic beast.

And the moment the bear magic beast raised its giant forepaw to swing, Elbridge pushed his shield forward slightly and whispered.

“Grant me the authority of no retreat.”

The magic beast’s forepaw, swung with a sound that tore through the air, struck Elbridge’s shield.

Thud!

It would have been natural for Elbridge to be sent flying, but he did not budge an inch as he absorbed the magic beast’s attack.

If an attack hit, or if the opponent evaded the attack, one could respond immediately. Because it was a somewhat predictable situation.

However, when the collision resulted in an unexpected outcome, an immediate reaction became difficult. A tiny human easily blocking the attack of a giant magic beast was precisely such a situation.

The magic beast’s force could not be naturally dissipated and returned as a powerful rebounding force.

The magic beast’s movements became tangled. Its upper and lower body failed to coordinate, exposing a vulnerability.

Elbridge lunged forward and swung his sword.

For enhanced-type magic beasts, their backs became hard first, while the underside of their bodies was reinforced relatively later. This was a principle with almost no exceptions.

Screeech—

Elbridge’s sword left a small wound on the nape of the magic beast’s neck.

Next, Elbridge thrust his sword, targeting the wound. The magic beast, sensing danger, twisted its body, but the sword Elbridge thrust buried itself in the wound without fail.

And Elbridge did not stop there.

Crunch.

Elbridge twisted his sword roughly as if handling a lever, snapping the neck bone.

That entire process was accomplished in less than two breaths from the first collision.

“…”

Leto stared silently at Elbridge.

It was a response so precise, effective, and violent that it would be difficult to imitate.

As the leader fell in an instant, the wild bears began to slink away. The situation concluded as soon as it began.

Leto thought that perhaps Elbridge, highly excited, would secretly hope for praise. However, Elbridge’s reaction differed from Leto’s expectation.

Elbridge’s expression was uncomfortable.

“It is strange.”

“What is strange?”

“When I received the authority, it felt strange.”

“You mean that uneasy emotion being transmitted?”

“Yes.”

“What can you do? For now, we must be grateful just that she granted the authority.”

Considering he was in the process of leaving the Order of the Rusty Shield to transfer to the Order of the Third Hand.

Leto swallowed those words instead of uttering them. Even without saying it, Elbridge would understand the unspoken sentiment.

However, Elbridge shook his head.

“It is the opposite. When I received the authority just now… I did not feel any displeasure at all.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is. But I don’t feel good about it.”

“Why?”

“Because now that I am trying to leave the order, she is trying to hold onto me belatedly.”

Elbridge clenched his teeth tightly and muttered in a small voice.

“She should have treated me well beforehand. What is the point of doing this now…”

Ah, so that was how he saw it.

Elbridge asked Leto.

“Leto. What do I have to do to join the Order of the Third Hand?”

Leto was pleased by Elbridge’s active attitude. But at the same time, it felt a bit hasty.

To reach Middlemarch in the Central region, where the main headquarters of the Order of the Third Hand was located, they had to travel for a long time.

It was a journey so long that it would not be strange to encounter a demon instead of a magic beast. If Elbridge hastily turned his back on the Goddess of the Rusty Shield and became unable to receive her authority… there was a high possibility that they would face problems, unable to cope with unexpected situations.

Furthermore, Leto thought it would be better to take Elbridge to the main headquarters first and then have him convert, rather than taking a already converted Elbridge.

How dramatic would it be if he, who had left for the North, returned with a paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield, and that paladin declared his conversion?

And a dramatic situation would exert a positive influence on Leto’s evaluation.

There was also a suitable excuse just in time.

“The conversion itself doesn’t matter where you do it. But how about waiting a bit?”

“Why?”

“Because the appointment of a paladin is done at the order’s main headquarters anyway.”

Leto did not forget to keep an eye on the reaction of the Goddess of the Rusty Shield either.

“It will take quite some time to travel from here to Middlemarch. I think it would be good to ponder deeply while traveling to see if you will have any regrets about your decision.”

As Leto saw it, the possibility of Elbridge changing his mind was low. His dissatisfaction had piled up for years, prompting him to flee from Fort Hebron; there was no way he would change his mind now.

But if he kept Elbridge loosely attached to the Order of the Rusty Shield like this, they could freely use the authority of the Order of the Rusty Shield while traveling.

Moreover, he could expect a higher evaluation than if he brought Elbridge after converting him beforehand, so it could be called killing three birds with one stone.

Sure enough, Elbridge nodded.

“Alright. Let us do that.”

Leto was satisfied.

*

Leto and Elbridge traveled, traversing the North.

It was a rugged path where an ordinary person would have had to risk their life several times.

But Leto and Elbridge traveled leisurely, chatting and playing jokes, as if they had gone out on a picnic.

Since Leto was also an elite paladin whose skills had been recognized at a young age, leading to his assignment to Fort Hebron, even though his light paled in comparison to Elbridge.

After traveling for about ten days in that manner, the two arrived near the Norens River, the boundary between the North and the Central region.

A long city built along the Norens River. The City of Norens welcomed them.

Right before entering the city, Elbridge spoke.

“The atmosphere is a bit unsettled. Was this place originally like this?”

There was no confidence in Elbridge’s voice.

The last time Elbridge had stayed in the City of Norens was about three or four years ago, and back then, Elbridge was far younger than he was now.

To put it another way, it meant the city’s atmosphere was strange enough that even that younger version of Elbridge could notice.

And unlike Elbridge, Leto had passed through the City of Norens just three months ago.

“It looks a bit strange to me too. Three months ago, I think the atmosphere was far more lively than this.”

Leto took a step back and scanned the long City of Norens. Then he spotted something strange.

“Look over there.”

One side of the city was literally crushed to pieces.

As was usually the case for cities above a certain scale, there were knights and paladins in the City of Norens as well.

Piercing through their defenses and leaving scars of that level was not something a common magic beast could accomplish.

“A demon must have appeared.”

“Probably.”

Fort Hebron was a fortress built to lure and repel demons.

But naturally, they could not completely block the demons. It wasn’t as if the demons only walked along established paths anyway.

The two entered the nearest inn.

People’s gazes flew and fixed upon Elbridge and Leto. More precisely, on the cuirasses of Elbridge and Leto.

Leto and Elbridge secured a room to stay the night, sliced the meat roasting by the fire, and placed it on plates.

Just as they were about to start their meal, a customer at the neighboring table who had finished eating spoke to them.

“Are both of you paladins?”

“Yes.”

“Quite young. The insignia on that young man’s armor… is it the Order of the Rusty Shield?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

The customer who finished their meal vanished outside the inn.

Elbridge showed no particular reaction. But Leto could roughly guess what would happen next.

The Order of the Rusty Shield, famous for being a small elite force. And Elbridge, who was excessively youthful. It would be stranger if they weren’t suspected.

The expectation did not miss the mark.

A moment later, a knight entered the inn and spoke.

“I heard there is someone impersonating a paladin.”

Interest flickered on the faces of the inn’s customers. It was obvious what they were expecting.

Impersonating a paladin was a heavy crime. They were probably expecting Elbridge and Leto to be thoroughly beaten and thrown out in disgrace.

‘I should show him the byproducts of the magic beasts we hunted on our way…’

Anticipating that such an event would occur, Leto had kept byproducts of the magic beasts. For instance, things like the claws of the bear magic beast.

Although the flesh at the tip of the claw was rotting and emitting an unpleasant smell, that very unpleasant odor was proof that not much time had passed since the hunt.

“Please wait a moment.”

While Leto rummaged through his luggage, Elbridge and the knight’s gazes met.

The knight’s gaze landed on Elbridge’s face, and then on the insignia of the cuirass.

A brief silence.

Then the knight spoke.

“Are you… that squire who came with Sir Leonhardt in the past? What did you say your name was? Elboar?”

“Elbridge.”

“Ah, right. Elbridge. You have grown a lot.”

The murmurs of the inn’s customers could be heard.

“…He was real?”

However, the customers were not disappointed.

Watching a fake paladin get thoroughly beaten and thrown out was fun, but spectating an ridiculously young paladin was no less interesting.

Even more so if that paladin belonged to the Order of the Rusty Shield, which was famous for its small elite force.

The knight naturally sat down next to Leto, opposite Elbridge.

“You have changed beyond recognition. Have you already become a formal paladin?”

“Because several years have passed. By the way, I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“One side of the city was crushed. Was it the doing of a demon?”

“Yes. It is unfortunate, but there is no need to worry much. It happened about a month ago.”

“Is that so.”

People living through difficult times inevitably had to grow a bit numb.

To the extent that even if a demon appeared and caused a disaster, they could return to their daily lives somehow after a month or so.

“I think I heard in the past that you were going to Fort Hebron. For what business did you come to Norens?”

“We stopped by on our way.”

Not revealing even a simple direction meant they did not want to make their destination known. The knight was not so tactless as to press such a person about their destination.

At the same time, he was also a considerate person who would warn travelers of places to be careful of.

“If by chance you head south, be careful.”

“It seems something has occurred.”

“The time has passed for the armed merchant caravan to arrive from Middlemarch, but they still haven’t come.”

An armed merchant caravan referred to a merchant caravan with the capability to repel even moderately strong magic beasts.

One could call it a combination of a mercenary group and a merchant caravan. It was common for retired knights or paladins to be hired by armed merchant caravans.

“They are people who would not miss the date even if their family died. It is clear that something has happened. If you have any reason to go south, be careful.”

“Understood.”

The knight tapped Elbridge’s shoulder and rose from his seat.

It was a trivial gesture, but the knight’s action held a clear intent. To subtly boast to the inn’s patrons of the familiarity between himself and the paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield.

However, Leto and Elbridge did not manage to notice such an intention.

“Let’s meet again next time.”

The knight left the inn with a grin.

Elbridge and Leto looked at each other.

No particular conversation was exchanged. But the two reached the same conclusion.

The conclusion that if they headed south from here, they would surely get embroiled in trouble.

“Are you going?”

Elbridge replied to Leto’s question.

“Could it be worse than Fort Hebron?”

The two grinned at the same time.