Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 28 - Brand

Chapter 28 – Brand

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Bestowing everything on one was not a foreign concept to Elbridge.

Even in the old days when paladins died in vain, each combat order possessed at least dozens to a maximum of over a hundred paladins.

However, the paladins of the Order of the Rusty Shield were at most two hands’ worth. When few, they could be counted on even a single hand.

Since the head count of paladins in the Order of the Rusty Shield was extremely small compared to the seats they held in the Heavenly Council, the authority each paladin could utilize was much stronger than that of other orders’ paladins.

In a way, concentrating authority was the tradition of the Order of the Rusty Shield.

However, the number of paladins being small and there being only a single paladin were entirely different matters.

“Goddess. By any chance, if a mishap were to occur to me, what would become of the future of the order?”

– Elbridge. Your goddess will help you with all her heart so that a mishap does not occur to you.

“…”

It meant there was no proper countermeasure.

However, in Elbridge’s view, it was not a reckless gamble.

No, the success rate itself was highest when concentrating authority on Elbridge. It was just that the risk burden when things went wrong was enormous.

While Elbridge was heading toward the shantytown lost in deep thought, an oracle was handed down again.

– Elbridge. What do you plan to do about Viveca?

“That is…”

Elbridge was not a tactless person.

While proselytizing with Viveca’s help for a few days, Elbridge realized that Viveca’s attitude was unusual.

And as a result of stepping back and examining the situation up to now, he obtained the conviction that Viveca harbored affection for him.

“What do you wish for me to do, Goddess?”

– Elbridge. That is entirely for you to decide.

“Then… I will speak to Viveca honestly.”

Even in Elbridge’s eyes, Viveca was a fairly decent person.

Although her tongue was a bit rough, her character was upright and lively. If they slowly got to know each other, they might be able to become a better relationship.

But Elbridge had seen the tragic endings of lovers too many times.

People driven into extreme situations naturally grow attached to each other easily.

The people who harbored affection for their comrades on the battlefield were too numerous to count.

There were many who became lovers like that, and there were also often people who held simple weddings in poor environments.

But as far as Elbridge remembered, the vast majority of them met an unhappy ending. Because the battlefield was such a space.

– Viveca will be heartbroken.

“Just as I noticed Viveca’s heart, Viveca also must have guessed my mind implicitly. Since she did not seem like a tactless child.”

– Indeed. Even if she did not guess it right away, she will slowly realize it…

Before he knew it, he arrived at the shantytown.

However, Elbridge could not enter the temple straight away and stopped his steps in front of the temple.

‘Is Viveca still remaining?’

Elbridge took a deep breath and stepped inside the temple.

Viveca was not there.

But instead of Viveca, he faced an unexpected person.

“It has been a while. No, has it not been long to say it has been a while?”

An awkward tone swinging between polite and casual speech, and a scar on the bridge of the nose.

The mercenary Marcus was waiting for Elbridge. It was a welcome face in the midst of a complicated heart.

“Marcus! Did you come to join the order?”

At that, Marcus waved his hand.

“It is not like that, but I came because a curious matter arose. A strange thing also happened.”

“A curious matter. Let us hear about it.”

Marcus looked around in vain, then lowered his voice.

“Just a moment ago I was lingering at the Mercenary Guild, and a somewhat peculiar client appeared.”

“A peculiar client. Is it perhaps a mage?”

“Not a mage, but a dwarf.”

“Hmm.”

Dwarf culture is closed.

Even if a problem arises inside the group, they do not request help from the outside unless it is an extraordinary matter.

If such a dwarf visited the Mercenary Guild trying to commission a request, it was certain that it was no ordinary situation.

“What request was it?”

“Knights, paladins, priests, mercenaries… anything is fine, they said they were looking for the most skilled person in the Holy City Solenion. But strangely, they did not say what they plan to do after gathering skilled people. The reward is the same. They said they would reward handsomely, but did not tell specifically what that reward was.”

A request that did not reveal either the reward or the content of the request.

Although how could such a thing make sense, if it was fellows as closed as dwarves, it made sense.

“Other people just ignored it, but I got a strong intuition that this is a big deal. So after contemplating, I came to find Sir Elbridge. Because the most skilled paladin in the Holy City Solenion right now is Sir Elbridge.”

Elbridge thought for a moment, then answered.

“First, the statement that they will reward handsomely will not be a lie. Because dwarves are fellows who do not spare rewards once they receive help. It must be just because they could not decide what to give as a reward.”

If they were helping a dwarf tribe rather than an individual dwarf, they could easily obtain at least a suit of armor not falling behind Mage-Tower-crafted armor. Obtaining something beyond that would not be difficult either.

As Elbridge spoke with certainty, Marcus wore a satisfied expression.

“Hmm. As expected, it is a big deal. My senses have not died.”

“Where is the client? I would like to talk a bit more.”

“He is dead.”

“You said a request came in just a moment ago?”

“Looking that he looked somewhat anxious ever since he entered the Mercenary Guild, he suddenly collapsed and died.”

A situation urgent enough for a dwarf to request help from the outside. And the client’s sudden death.

Elbridge’s intuition whispered.

That perhaps the moment he feared most was approaching.

Since things had turned out like this, they had to find out what the situation was.

Elbridge answered calmly.

“It is indeed a curious matter, and indeed a strange thing.”

However, Marcus scratched the back of his head roughly.

“I just told you the curious matter, but I have not talked about the strange thing yet.”

“What is the strange thing?”

“While I was trying to enter the Temple of the Rusty Shield to find Sir Elbridge, an oracle was suddenly handed down.”

“…An oracle?”

For an oracle to be delivered to Marcus, who was not an archbishop, nor even a paladin?

Even based on over two hundred years ago, it was an uncommon situation.

“Is it truly an oracle? Did you not hear an auditory hallucination?”

“A strange voice was heard in my ear… but it was not the voice of an ordinary person. Anyway, that voice said. That they were the God of the Sunshower.”

Although it was a somewhat irreverent tone for someone who received an oracle, Elbridge decided not to care. Even if they received divine punishment, would not Marcus receive it?

“So what did you do?”

“Startled, I said I was neither a priest nor a paladin. Then they said it did not matter. Saying they could hand down at least a paladin status immediately if I came to the temple.”

“…”

“So when I said being a mercenary was more comfortable, they told me to do so. Saying they would watch closely in the future even as a mercenary.”

Thanks to the Goddess of the Rusty Shield, he had discarded a substantial part of his fantasy about gods.

As Elbridge judged, the oracle the God of the Sunshower gave to Marcus had a high probability of having some purpose, rather than being simple goodwill.

“By any chance, was that all that the God of the Sunshower said?”

“Of course not. They said since it is easy to bring luck if I am beside Sir Elbridge, to stick close to Sir Elbridge’s side as much as possible. Ah, and who was it. It was a dwarf in the Mage Tower. What was the name…”

“Rombel?”

“Ah, that is right. Rombel. They told me to get along well with that dwarf too.”

The common point between Elbridge and Rombel was one. That they were skilled figures who were active two hundred years ago.

A tickling feeling as if something was about to come to mind.

When the Goddess of the Rusty Shield grumbled.

– The God of the Sunshower. That quick-witted fellow is using clever schemes. His paladins have all died of old age, and the paladins remaining under him now are mere riffraff… It is clear he is trying to stick Marcus, who clearly has an acquaintance with you, to your side to pick up crumbs.

Elbridge whispered softly.

“Crumbs, you say?”

– Elbridge. Since it is certain you will gain fame, the person beside you will also gain at least a bit of honor as a comrade. He is trying to aim for those crumbs. How undignified…

“Goddess. In that case, should I cast Marcus away?”

– That… Hmm.

The goddess pondered for a moment, then delivered an oracle again.

– There is no need to cast him away in particular. Because if you keep Marcus beside you, Elbridge, you might also benefit. But it does feel a bit displeasing.

“You will protest sternly to the God of the Sunshower, then.”

At that, the goddess answered hesitantly.

– I have never even spoken to him before, so that is a bit… Besides, did not the God of the Sunshower have as many as eight seats? It would be right to just let it pass once for now. It also does not seem like he guided Marcus to your side with evil intentions…

In short, it meant she would let it slide just once because his influence was stronger than hers.

However, since that was a statement that considerably damaged the goddess’s dignity, Elbridge had to try hard not to reveal the feeling he felt right now on his face.

Marcus said.

“Anyway, the dwarf named Rombel seems like he will be of quite a help in handling this request. The dwarves must know something among themselves. There was also an oracle.”

Elbridge stood up from his seat and answered.

“There is no need to dally. Let us go meet Rombel.”

*

Elbridge and Marcus headed straight to the Mage Tower.

Contrary to Elbridge’s expectation that Rombel would find it difficult to make time, Rombel left the Mage Tower without much hesitation.

“Is it alright for you to leave your post like that? You said armor commissions are piled up.”

“If they had complaints, they should have hired a successor when I asked them to.”

The three people headed to the Mercenary Guild.

However, naturally, the body of the deceased dwarf had already been handed over to the undertaker.

The three people visited the undertaker pointed out by the Mercenary Guild member.

Then, the undertaker said half-heartedly through the gap in the door.

“You came to see the body?”

“That is correct.”

“Nonsense. The body cannot be shown to outsiders recklessly.”

A flat refusal.

However, in Marcus’s experience, the statement that it could not be shown recklessly carried the implication that it could be shown if he received about two silver coins.

As Marcus held out two silver coins through the gap in the door, the door swung wide open.

“I will step out for a moment, so take a quick look and leave. Do not go spreading rumors elsewhere in vain…”

“I understand.”

The dead dwarf was a man with a bushy beard, but at a glance, the reason for his death could not be confirmed.

However, rather because of that, there was all the more a part that came to mind.

Rombel examined the dwarf’s face here and there, then said bitterly.

“He is a fellow who came from the Red Mountains, just like me. Age around two hundred years… I might have seen him when he was young.”

“First, let’s verify the cause of death.”

“We must.”

While Marcus stared blankly, Elbridge and Rombel closely examined the body.

They checked the scalp by parting the bushy hair, and checked the forehead and the back of the neck. Even though they pushed aside the beard and checked all the way to the nape, nothing was discovered.

Rombel said.

“We must strip the clothes off. Help me.”

Marcus quickly approached and helped Rombel.

Stripping the upper garment revealed a shaggy upper body, which was not a very pleasant sight in Elbridge’s eyes.

‘I hope no occasion to strip the pants arises…’

Fortunately, such a situation did not arise.

Because a wound like it had been branded with fire was discovered in the very center of the dead dwarf’s chest.

Marcus muttered.

“It is a brand. A brand that was stamped not long ago, at that.”

It looked so in Elbridge’s eyes as well.

However, unlike ordinary brands where the shape is bound to be squished in the process of branding with fire, that brand had an extremely exquisite pattern. The shape of a sword piercing a snake.

“But it is a bit strange.”

What was even more bizarre was that although the brand had deeply seared the chest to that extent, not a single strand of hair covering the body’s upper torso was burned or shriveled.

Since it was a sight he had seen several times, Elbridge let out a deep sigh.

Whew—

Unlike Elbridge, Rombel took Marcus’s right hand.

“Marcus, you said? Welcome.”

“Yes? What suddenly are you congratulating me on…”

Rombel smirked.

“The peaceful and boring era is over. Welcome to the world of living with demons.”