Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 20 - Peak Season
Chapter 20 – Peak Season
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Even while looking at Elbridge’s armor, the brown-haired woman still had a look of disbelief.
“…By the way, where might the other paladins be?”
To ask where someone other than Elbridge was, when she had come looking for a paladin.
It was a reaction that brought back a bit of nostalgia.
Back when the length of one’s survival represented a paladin’s capability, Elbridge had to endure a lot of doubt and distrust simply for being too young.
As time passed and his name and face became known, such occurrences gradually faded, but those misunderstandings did not vanish completely. This was because even twenty-six, his age just before being sealed, was considered extremely young among paladins.
Elbridge replied.
“I am the only paladin in our Order. Why do you ask?”
“Ah… It is just that it is different from what I expected. Since there was an oracle, I thought there would be a slightly more experienced and seasoned middle-aged knight.”
“I am sorry that I am not a seasoned paladin.”
At Elbridge’s response, the brown-haired woman was startled.
“I did not say that with bad intentions. It is just that you are so young…”
“I never thought you had bad intentions. It was a joke, so do not worry.”
The woman made a slightly embarrassed expression, then introduced herself belatedly.
“I am Viveca, an apprentice paladin serving the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.”
“I am Elbridge, a paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield.”
“Sir Elbridge. As I mentioned, I have come to request your assistance. If you would help us, the Eastern Parish of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss will reward you with a generous compensation. For instance…”
Elbridge shook his head.
“No compensation is necessary.”
Elbridge was in a situation where he had to pay back a debt. If he received excessive compensation, it could become a debt again, so it was only right to avoid a situation where he created a new debt as soon as he cleared the old one.
Unsure of how she took Elbridge’s answer, Viveca’s face fell as if she were about to cry.
“Pardon? But I absolutely must bring you with me, Sir Elbridge…”
“I am not saying I will not help you. I simply do not desire any reward.”
“Yes?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected reply, as Viveca’s round eyes grew even wider.
Elbridge gave a small laugh.
Was it not an entertaining thing to deal with someone whose emotions were written so clearly on their face?
“…By any chance, is there a particular reason?”
“Since the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss has already bestowed grace upon me, I merely wish to repay it, even if belatedly.”
However, Viveca did not comprehend Elbridge’s answer.
*
Perhaps thanks to Elbridge complying so readily, Viveca’s steps were light enough to fly.
The two continued their conversation as they headed toward the Order of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.
“By the way, for what reason does the Order of Spring Rain and Moss require a Great Warrior?”
As far as Elbridge remembered, the Order of Spring Rain and Moss rarely had conflicts with other religious orders.
Even when combat orders clashed, no order ever laid a hand on the Order of Spring Rain and Moss. If they got on the bad side of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss and failed to receive timely treatment, they themselves would be the first to suffer.
Thanks to that, the Order of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss was treated as a sort of nobility among the combat orders.
“We have been having some friction with another order lately. Although, they are the ones unilaterally picking a fight.”
“Which order would do such a crazy thing…”
“It is the Order of the Flowing Water.”
“Ah.”
The Order of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss and the Order of the Flowing Water shared many similarities. This was especially true in that both orders were combat orders focused on healing authority.
However, as Elbridge remembered, the Order of the Flowing Water was on the smaller side even among combat orders with healing authority.
“By any chance, how many seats do the two orders hold?”
“Our Order of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss holds seven seats, and the Order of the Flowing Water barely holds one seat. It is an incomparable difference. Compared to our Order, the Order of the Flowing Water is like a mom-and-pop shop.”
Whether she lacked tact or was just pure, Viveca was rather bold in her choice of words.
‘If one seat is a mom-and-pop shop, then what on earth does that make our Order…’
Elbridge was thankful that the Goddess of the Rusty Shield did not hear Viveca’s words.
Had not the Goddess been depressed for days when Felix made that remark about the Order of the Rusty Shield being a ‘shipwreck’?
“Is there even a temple of the Flowing Water Order in the East? I believe I heard that their influence is concentrated in the southern part of the continent.”
“A temple was built about five years ago. It was more of a prayer room for believers in the eastern region than a temple, but… anyway, that is not what is important. The Flowing Water Order has been blatantly challenging our Order since a month ago. They defame our Order and provoke clashes.”
“Is there a reason you can guess?”
Viveca hesitated.
“I do not know if I should share even this kind of thing…”
“Rest assured. This story will not leak outside.”
“Actually, the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss has delivered two oracles this year. The oracle from last night, telling us to seek help from the Order of the Rusty Shield, and the oracle from a month ago, conveying heavy news.”
Elbridge’s ears perked up.
Because of his unique circumstances, Elbridge received the Goddess’s oracles frequently, but it was rare for other orders to receive them. Often, two or three years would pass without a single oracle.
“What was the oracle from a month ago?”
Viveca lowered her voice and spoke with utmost significance.
“She said a demon appeared in the Dickens Viscountcy. And that another demon will appear soon.”
“Ah, yes… I see.”
Elbridge reacted indifferently. This was because the source of that information was Elbridge himself.
Ten to one, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield had passed the news to the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.
Viveca stopped walking and crossed her arms.
“Are you doubting my words right now? This is a story I received directly from the Archbishop!”
“Of course I believe you, Sir Viveca.”
“But your expression…”
“I make that kind of expression when I am surprised. It often causes misunderstandings.”
When Elbridge made that half-hearted excuse, Viveca looked a bit unconvinced.
However, the one who held the upper hand right now was Elbridge.
“…Anyway, in my opinion, I think there is some connection between the oracle from a month ago and the provocations committed by the Flowing Water Order. The timing matches almost perfectly, does it not?”
It seemed Viveca did not know the exact relationship between the oracle and the current situation.
However, in the end, Viveca’s prediction was likely not wrong.
The Flowing Water Order was probably provoking the Order of Spring Rain and Moss because of the trigger that was the demon’s appearance.
‘They probably want to overturn the board at this opportunity.’
It was known that there were not many gods with friendly relations like the Goddess of the Rusty Shield and the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss, and that most were in relationships of competition and checks.
Since they had to compete for a limited number of seats, this was an inevitable situation.
However, apart from fierce competition, the landscape of seats was not easily overturned. After all, competition naturally favored those who were already ahead.
‘In a peaceful world, new stars cannot rise.’
Since nothing special occurred, the giant orders could firmly maintain their superiority, while minor orders found it hard to seize opportunities to leap forward because there were no gaps to wedge into.
A world where the seats and hierarchy of the gods had fallen into a state of stagnation amidst a long-lasting peace.
When the news of the demon’s appearance spread among the gods, did every single god worry about the demon’s appearance?
Surely, that would not have been the case.
After all, opportunities are hidden within crises and chaos.
It was not strange at all if gods who barely held a single seat, or gods who held no seats at all, accepted the demon’s appearance as an opportunity.
Elbridge recalled the past.
‘Truly, it feels as if the world is returning to the old days…’
A romantic world where all of humanity united as one to combine their strength just because a mighty enemy appeared had never existed.
It was so even two hundred years ago. Clashes between religious orders were more common than clashes between paladins and demons.
Ranging from minor wars of words between priests to serious cases of armed conflict between orders. As a result, it was also common for orders to be dismantled.
“…At first, we did not respond to the Flowing Water Order’s provocations. But the intensity of the provocations gradually grew stronger until it reached an unacceptable level. The believers also seemed to hope that we would respond somehow… Actually, in my opinion, I do not think continuing to ignore them is a very good response.”
Elbridge chimed in agreement with Viveca’s words.
“Ignoring is fine for once or twice. If you keep plugging your ears, people who believe their claims are bound to appear. By the way, what did they say to cause such a stir?”
“Those bas—”
Viveca cut herself off and cleared her throat. Ahem.
“To put it a bit mildly, they claimed that the Order of Spring Rain and Moss will not be able to protect its believers in times of chaos. Right now, it is a story no one pays attention to… but if a demon truly appears, people will recall that story and harbor doubts.”
“You are absolutely correct.”
“So we were looking for a way to respond, and just in time, the Grand Festival is being held!”
A term that Elbridge had never heard of popped up.
“A Grand Festival?”
“You live in Solenion and do not know the Grand Festival? The Grand Festival of summer?”
Elbridge made an excuse.
“It is my first time hearing of it. I left Solenion a very long time ago and returned only recently.”
It was not a lie. Had he not been away for a whopping two hundred years?
“The Grand Festival is a huge event where each religious order gathers. Among them, it also includes an exhibition match where paladins from each order form teams of five to compete… The Flowing Water Order confidently declared that they will crush our Order in that exhibition match.”
“It is a good opportunity to shut their mouths.”
“However, anyone can see that it will be difficult for our Order to win.”
“…”
Viveca made a hasty excuse.
“It is not because our skills are lacking! It is due to the difference in our Orders’ tendencies. In any case, the Flowing Water Order is a slightly more combative order than ours… but in return, our healing authority is far superior.”
“I understand. So that is why you ended up requesting my help?”
“Yes. While the Archbishop was groaning and agonizing over a solution, an oracle was delivered last night. An oracle to go seek out the paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield!”
“But is it possible for me to participate in the Grand Festival together with the Order of Spring Rain and Moss? I belong to the Order of the Rusty Shield, after all.”
Viveca replied triumphantly.
“A paladin from an order that has not separately applied for participation can compete alongside the paladins of another order. It is a regulation meant to encourage the participation of small orders that cannot form a team because they do not have five paladins.”
“There is no way the Order of Spring Rain and Moss has fewer than five paladins… Is that not an abuse of the regulations?”
“What is wrong with abusing the regulations just a little?”
Elbridge stared blankly at Viveca.
Then, Viveca replied without hesitation.
“An ancient sage once said. Whether you win or lose, it is a pain—no. If you cannot be honorable, it is better to at least win. It is far better to win by any means than to lose miserably in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.”
The moment he heard one particular expression, Elbridge’s eyes flashed.
“Hundreds of thousands of spectators? Are there really that many people who come to watch the Grand Festival?”
“Of course! It is the largest event in the Holy City Solenion, after all. The paladins’ duels are among the events with the highest number of spectators.”
Elbridge asked seriously.
“Sir Viveca. How did the Order of Spring Rain and Moss perform in the Grand Festival in the past?”
“I heard that passing the preliminaries and winning once more in the main tournament is our best record. There were also many times we were eliminated in the preliminaries. The preliminaries themselves are no joke. It would be really nice if the Flowing Water Order got eliminated in the preliminaries.”
“Is that so…”
Just then, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield, who had been quiet until now, whispered in Elbridge’s ear.
– Elbridge. Where are you going?
Elbridge pondered for a moment, then whispered softly.
“I am going to recruit new followers.”
At last, the peak season had begun.