Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 23 - In Moderation

Chapter 23 – In Moderation

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The cheers of the crowd erupted a little late.

“Oooooooooh!”

“Which order does that person belong to?”

“How did he cut the armor? Did he pierce a gap?”

A bloodshed was bound to excite people.

The crowd went wild at the unexpected bloodshed.

The bloodshed Elbridge brought about was so intense that it could not be compared to the nosebleeds or the bleeding of lacerated wounds that had occurred in previous matches.

Elbridge pointed to the outside of the stadium and said to the knight who had been stabbed in the knee.

“Go down.”

The knight stabbed in the knee faithfully followed Elbridge’s instruction.

The knight knew that he could not display his true skills now that his knee was injured, and he knew that he would not be able to match Elbridge even if his knee were intact.

The gazes of the paladins remaining in the stadium were now focused on Elbridge.

Only a few paladins immediately understood Elbridge’s movement, and a small number of paladins could only belatedly guess Elbridge’s movement through the cut pieces of the clasp and the position where the sword had driven in.

And the remaining paladins had no way of knowing what had just happened.

However, even the paladins who did not understand Elbridge’s movement understood one thing clearly.

That challenging Elbridge right now was not a wise action.

Elbridge quietly stared at the bloodstains left in the stadium, then raised his head and asked.

“Anyone else who wants to fight?”

No one boldly stepped up to challenge him.

Until just a moment ago, the paladin who had taken a blade to the knee was the most avoided target in this stadium.

Elbridge cleanly subdued such a person using a sword rather than a blunt weapon, proving his skill. If they had a brain, they could not challenge Elbridge.

It was also important that they could advance to the main tournament without subduing the Order of Spring Rain and Moss, to which Elbridge belonged. After all, were there not two teams passing the preliminaries, not just one?

Furthermore, Elbridge was showing no intention of actively attacking the other paladins.

Synthesizing all of this information, the paladins made the most rational and common-sense judgment.

“C-Come on!”

Which was to ignore the Order of Spring Rain and Moss and decide the second advancing team among themselves.

Only then did Elbridge breathe a sigh of relief without anyone noticing.

Whew—

Contrary to his seemingly confident and relaxed attitude, Elbridge was actually quite nervous. It was because he did not have that much experience cutting humans.

Unlike the paladins of other orders who fought against hostile orders when necessary, the paladins of the Order of the Rusty Shield rarely had occasion to fight humans.

Thanks to Elbridge, there was one person who oddly benefited as the landscape of the stadium shifted.

It was the pseudo-dwarf who had been lying on the floor, getting beaten down with clubs.

Although he had been beaten mercilessly, he managed to avoid injury, and as soon as the clubbing stopped, he slinked up and returned to the side of Elbridge and Viveca.

“The atmosphere suddenly changed. Did something happen?”

“Someone came at me, so I subdued one.”

“…Not a single person is approaching this way.”

“It must be because they saw blood. They would find it repulsive.”

“Haha! Is that so? At any rate, well done! You fight quite well even with a sword. I had faith in you from the very beginning.”

Listening to the conversation between the pseudo-dwarf and Elbridge, Viveca wore a very complicated expression.

Elbridge watched the match with the feeling of having become a spectator. And when the number of people standing on two feet in the stadium became six.

Dong—

The bell tolled.

As the two advancing teams were decided like that, the red-haired paladin who had been watching the match from below the stage raised both hands high.

“Nice! We made it to the main tournament! When I got pushed and fell out, I thought we were completely done for…”

“Sir Elbridge fought far better than expected.”

“Haha! Would the Goddess have handed down an oracle for no reason? I knew it would turn out like this!”

While the teammates were chattering, Elbridge slipped out to the side and whispered to the Goddess.

“Goddess. I have a question.”

At that, the Goddess’s excited voice was heard.

– I shall answer anything. My proud paladin.

“The God of the Flowing Water seemed to know me. By any chance, do the other gods know me as well?”

– The past was so chaotic, and you only frequented rugged battlefields that were hard for people to reach. The majority of the gods would not know of your deeds before you were sealed.

“If so, how does the God of the Flowing Water know me?”

– Because most of them know that my sole paladin acted as the nucleus of the seal and held out for two hundred years. Elbridge.

It meant that, by the identity of being a paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield alone, the gods could guess who Elbridge was.

Elbridge’s voice sank even lower.

“Goddess. You said that if who I am were to be known to the world, there would be people who would envy or hate me, and people who would pin the responsibility for future events on me.”

– It will surely be so.

“Then is it not possible that the gods might hold a grudge and deliver an oracle to their respective orders about my identity? If that happens, my pretending to be my own descendant would have no meaning whatsoever.”

– You need not worry about such things.

“Why is that?”

– Because the practical benefit is small while the loss is great. There is no god who does not know how the world is currently turning, so which foolish deity would make an enemy of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss?

The Order of Spring Rain and Moss possessed a power that competed for the lead among the religious orders with healing authority.

If it were ordinary times, no major problems might have arisen even if relations with the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss went sour.

However, when the world became chaotic, the situation changed.

If, by some chance, the wrathful Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss were to deliver an oracle telling them not to heal the followers of a specific order, that order would have to bear immense consequences.

“I understand. That is fortunate.”

– Rest easy. Even if you claim to be a distant descendant of the Silent Paladin, Elbridge VIII, no one will emerge to doubt you.

Only then did Elbridge set aside his worries.

*

Elbridge watched the subsequent matches with interest.

It was an undeniable fact that the skills of the paladins had generally leveled downward.

‘There is not a single person worthy of being called a paladin. Though that is only natural…’

No, let alone a paladin, there was not even anyone at the level of an experienced paladin.

However, if one lowered the standard a bit more, the story changed.

There were not infrequently people who could be called paladins by a narrow margin when applying the standards of the past, or who could be seen as quite decent for apprentice paladins.

They must have built up their skills without neglecting training and without shunning danger.

Thanks to that, Elbridge was able to see a faint possibility.

‘In any era, talented and diligent people are born. As long as they are given a crisis that could break them out of their shell, and enough luck to survive without dying, they too will become proper paladins.’

Even excluding the paladins of minor orders who formed teams with other orders to participate, there were three noticeable combat orders.

The Order of the Bloody Spear, the Order of the Laurel Wreath, and the Order of the Staghorn.

The paladins of these three orders had average capabilities that were different from those of other orders.

They passed the preliminaries with overwhelming skill. To the point where, among the fifteen paladins participating from the three orders, not a single one was disqualified.

Elbridge felt slightly pleased. It was because their temples were all located close to the temple of the Order of the Rusty Shield.

‘Our shantytown neighbors…’

Just like that, the eight preliminary matches ended in a single day, and the sixteen teams to advance to the main tournament were decided.

*

The main tournament of the Grand Festival began the very day after the preliminaries ended. Even in Elbridge’s eyes, it was an exceptionally tight schedule.

“Do they originally proceed straight to the main tournament without any rest days in between?”

To Elbridge’s question, the red-haired paladin, Scarlet, replied.

“If we rest even for a single day, the spectators complain. Thanks to that, only the paladins playing are suffering.”

Dong—

A heavy bell toll resounded. Meaning they would begin drawing the bracket.

Since the leader of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss team was Scarlet, Scarlet went forward and drew the lot. And the result was—

“Ah, this isn’t good.”

Of all things, the opponent was the Order of the Flowing Water.

Not to mention Scarlet and Viveca, even the pseudo-dwarf and pseudo-elf looked burdened by clashing with the Order of the Flowing Water.

“Why is that? If we win cleanly, wouldn’t that be the best outcome?”

When Elbridge asked, the pseudo-dwarf replied.

“If by some chance we clash and lose, we will become too miserable.”

“We can just win.”

“Sir Elbridge. There is no need to prepare for a good situation. A wise person must live while preparing for the worst moment.”

“I do not think getting nervous now will help us prepare.”

“Is that so? Haha!”

Even the match order was at the very front.

Perhaps because they were severely nervous, Scarlet and the pseudo-elf wore expressions as if they were about to throw up at any moment.

However, Elbridge rather thought this situation was good. Wouldn’t it be natural for the match starting first to monopolize the most attention?

“Goddess. I shall go and engrave the name of the Order of the Rusty Shield into the minds of all the spectators.”

– Enjoy yourself to your heart’s content. Elbridge.

*

When the ten people, having taken off their helmets, stepped onto the stadium and faced each other, the announcer introduced the ten people in turn.

“…Johannes, paladin of the Order of the Cracked Mirror; Mitchell, paladin of the Order of the Burning Torch!”

As their names were called, each person took a half step forward and showed brief courtesy to the spectators.

The gazes of the spectators, whose number was unknown but likely in the tens of thousands, seemed to weigh down on the ten paladins.

“And their opponents are Scarlet, Hacon, Arvid, Viveca, paladins of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss…”

And Elbridge was also quite nervous. Elbridge had never shown his face in front of so many people before.

‘Yesterday I wore a helmet, which was probably why I was not very nervous.’

It was a nervousness slightly different from when he fought with his life on the line. A nervousness as if his heart were about to pierce his chest and pop out. Yet, a slightly fluttering nervousness.

“And next—!”

The announcer built up substantial suspense, then introduced the single person drawing the greatest interest from the crowd.

“The paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield, El—bridge!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaargh!”

“He is younger than I thought.”

“I’ve never heard of the Order of the Rusty Shield.”

The massive cheers and people’s murmurs following the suspenseful introduction.

Elbridge shivered slightly.

Over the past two hundred years or so. No, even before that, the name of the Order of the Rusty Shield had likely never been introduced in front of this many people.

Elbridge secretly thought that the Goddess of the Rusty Shield must be feeling a similar emotion.

The ten paladins pulled their helmets low.

Elbridge was still the only one holding a sword.

Before going onto the stage, Elbridge recalled the explanation Viveca had given him.

“The main tournament is played as a five-on-five battle. And judging calmly, this match is quite advantageous to our side.”

“In what aspect is it advantageous?”

“It’s not set by the rules, but generally, the main tournament is played by facing each other one-on-one and subduing the opponents one by one. Even if four people lose consecutively, if the last remaining person can defeat all five of the opponents, we win.”

Viveca said so, then tucked her brown hair behind her ear.

However, Elbridge thought Viveca’s hand movement was slightly awkward. She also looked nervous for some unknown reason.

“I see.”

When Elbridge replied calmly, a subtle dissatisfaction settled on Viveca’s face.

“Why are you like that?”

“…Never mind. Anyway, since Sir Elbridge’s skill is out of the ordinary, I think our probability of winning is high. By defeating the Order of the Flowing Water, we will set a record matching the best performance in our order’s history. This is a great opportunity…”

Just when Elbridge thought up to that point, the announcer’s shout cut off Elbridge’s thoughts.

“We shall staaaaaaaart the match!”

Because the Order of Spring Rain and Moss desired the most definitive and overwhelming victory, they put Elbridge at the vanguard, and the remaining four went down below the stage.

To show an overwhelming difference in capacity, what better way was there than for one person to defeat all five of the opponents?

However, none of the paladins of the Order of the Flowing Water went down below the stage.

“Why aren’t they going down…?”

A very brief silence.

And in the very next moment, the five paladins hired by the Order of the Flowing Water rushed toward Elbridge.

Immediately, Viveca shouted.

“Th-Those cowardly bastards!”

Subsequently, the boos of the crowd were heard.

“Boooooooooo!”

The judgment of the Order of the Flowing Water was simple.

If they clashed with Elbridge in a normal manner, there was a high probability they would lose.

Five people clashing in turn would only repeat five defeats.

Talking big about crushing the Order of Spring Rain and Moss was something that happened just a few days ago. In a situation where they were bound to be treated as the world’s biggest fools if they lost miserably after that.

Now, the Order of the Flowing Water had only two choices remaining.

Break the custom and double-team Elbridge to subdue him, and win the match, albeit in an ugly way.

Or endure five humiliating defeats.

A certain sage in the past once said:

“If you are a fool whether you win or lose, you might as well be a winning fool.”

The result was this double-team.

However, Elbridge rather felt at ease. A feeling as if he had thrown off uncomfortable clothes.

‘After all, how much experience do I have in fair and square, equitable fights?’

No one ever looked for fairness or playing fair and square in a fight against magic beasts or demons.

The thought that he had escaped somewhat from the awkward rules pleased Elbridge.

Although he was not in perfect physical condition, his condition was incomparably better than when he hunted the wolf magic beast or faced the crow magic beast.

It was likely because he had harbored a fair amount of divine power in his body after killing the crow magic beast.

Elbridge slightly pulled back his right foot.

And whispered while lowering his posture. ‘Goddess. The time has come.’

He did not wait for the Goddess’s reply.

As it had always been, at the most crucial moment, what one must trust was not a god, but one’s own capability.

Elbridge charged forward.

More vigorously and lightheartedly than ever since waking from the seal.

And he swung his sword. The five paladins also swung their iron clubs toward Elbridge.

While the four paladins of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss were scrambling onto the stage, the one person and the five people on the stage crossed paths.

The paladins hired by the Order of the Flowing Water numbered five.

Nothing happened to three of them.

However, one had the clasp beside his cuirass cut, and another had his elbow defense—namely, the couter—torn off.

“Ugh…”

The man with the cut clasp clutched his pelvis, letting out a low groan. Blood seeped out from around the pelvis, wetting his hand.

The arm of the person whose elbow defense had fallen off was also stained with blood before long. Although it was not a life-threatening wound, it was an injury that made continuing combat impossible.

In contrast, Elbridge’s armor had only been slightly grazed by the iron clubs.

The stadium, which had been full of boos, fell silent for a moment.

And then, a cheer erupted like an explosion.

“Oooooh!”

“Did you see that? Did you see? Waaaaaaaaaaargh!”

Midst the noise so massive it could be felt physically, the priest of the Order of the Flowing Water fully understood the meaning of the oracle he had heard yesterday.

‘Just how far do you plan to go? Please, do it in moderation…’