Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 5 - Benefits
Chapter 5 – Benefits
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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‘No. It might actually be a good situation.’
Magic beasts and demons possessed fragments of the Evil God.
Since fragments of the Evil God also harbored a type of divinity, hunting magic beasts and demons and absorbing the divinity contained within the Evil God’s fragments was the fastest way for a paladin to increase their capacity.
The problem was that the probability of dying while hunting a magic beast was considerably high, and it was a common occurrence for issues to arise from incorrectly absorbing a fragment of the Evil God…
‘But since I’ve done it all in the past, it doesn’t matter.’
Additionally, Marcus and Rick spoke as if magic beasts were not common in the world these days.
‘Unlike the old days, this is a world where opportunities to absorb fragments of the Evil God are rare. Facing a magic beast must be viewed as a scarce chance. A chance to regain even a little bit of my strength.’
Even the person said to be coming to exterminate the wolf pack was a knight, not a paladin.
Unlike paladins who accumulate divinity to build strength, knights gather mana to build strength, much like mages.
In other words, knights do not compete with paladins for the divinity held by magic beasts.
‘This is a rare opportunity. An opportunity to comfortably hunt a magic beast and gain strength with the assistance of a knight who does not covet divinity.’
The God of the Sunshower, whom Marcus served, tended to bring crises along with him so that good fortune would stand out.
However, there was no law stating that such a crisis must become a misfortune for everyone around him. After all, crises always came hand-in-hand with opportunities.
*
The knight whom Marcus’s fellow mercenary went to fetch arrived much earlier than expected.
The merchant and the knight exchanged greetings.
“It has been a while, Sir Walter.”
“You look well. Have you been doing fine in the meantime?”
“Yes. Are Sir Oswald and Sir Eberhart doing well?”
“They are living energetically. Since a person’s body also rusts if they stay still.”
Listening to the conversation from the side, Elbridge laughed silently.
Although it sounded like an ordinary greeting at first glance, that was no simple greeting.
The merchant asking after the knights Oswald and Eberhart was a way of asking why Walter had come alone instead of with them.
Conversely, the knight’s reply that they were living energetically meant that they also had duties of their own and could not come.
The merchant had expected at least three knights to arrive, but his expectations had been thoroughly dashed.
Unsurprisingly, the merchant’s expression was not very bright. However, the knight did not watch the merchant’s reactions. Because he was a knight.
Elbridge looked at the knight.
A wrinkled but quite handsome face and snow-white hair. Armor that was polished smooth despite having shallow scratches here and there. It was an appearance worthy of being a textbook example of a veteran knight.
‘A veteran knight is surely better than an inexperienced greenhorn. Even more so since they said opportunities to fight magic beasts are rare in today’s world…’
Sir Walter, the knight, conversed a bit more with the merchant and then approached Elbridge.
“Are you the one who took down a wolf with a pocket knife?”
“I got lucky.”
“I do not believe such a thing is possible by mere luck. You were a mercenary, correct?”
Unlike his blunt attitude when speaking with the merchant, the veteran knight’s attitude in treating Elbridge was noticeably warm.
“There was a time when I lived relying on the sword.”
“You are humble. By any chance, do you have any interest in learning the sword from me?”
It was effectively an offer to become his disciple.
For the knight Walter, it was a bold offer to make upon their first meeting, but Elbridge rejected the proposal as if it were only natural.
“I must decline.”
“Why? You would be able to live much more comfortably than now.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Reasons, is it…”
Sir Walter, the knight, did not pry any further.
“If you change your mind, come to the Riverford Barony at any time and look for the knight Walter.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“By the way, what is your name?”
“El…”
Elbridge was about to speak as such, but then added a word.
“…Elbridge.”
In an era where demons had become a mere tall tale, there was no need to hide his name.
However, Walter’s reaction was different from Elbridge’s expectation.
“Elbridge. Which god do you follow?”
“I serve the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.”
“Aha. Your parents must have been extremely devout.”
“…Pardon?”
“Otherwise, they would not have given that name to their child. It seems you do not know the origin of your name?”
Since the name Elbridge was derived from the name of a town, there was naturally no particular origin to speak of.
However, Walter interpreted Elbridge’s reaction on his own.
“To be sure, it is a name that someone wouldn’t know unless they were an old-timer interested in lore like me. Your name is the name of the legendary paladin who sealed away the Great Demon. The Silent Paladin. Sir Elbridge of the Order of the Rusty Shield.”
Although it was closer to him being sealed rather than him sealing it, saying he sealed it was not exactly incorrect either.
However, the title of the Silent Paladin felt a bit subtle. Because Elbridge was not particularly a man of few words.
Highly intrigued, Elbridge subtly tested Walter.
“I heard that demons are just legends.”
“It is not a legend.”
Elbridge held his breath and waited for Walter’s next words.
It felt as though some concrete story was about to come out.
“…That is what I believe. If you look up ancient documents, there are quite a lot of concrete records regarding demons. My grandfather told me that my great-great-grandfather had experience fighting demons in his youth…”
Somehow, the story drifted into vagueness.
Yet, even that much was enough to make Elbridge’s heart leap.
Did it not mean that, although many people had forgotten, the name Elbridge remained in history, and someone remembered that name?
Elbridge resolved that once he reached the Holy City, he would rummage through ancient records to thoroughly search for his own name.
‘Numerous historians must have praised me in unison…’
Walter continued his story.
“Anyway, I did not know the Order of the Rusty Shield was still remaining until now. It is the first time I have met a believer in person.”
“It is an Order that is almost ruined, after all.”
“Haha. In that case, how about transferring to our Order?”
“Sir Walter, which Order do you belong to?”
“I follow the God of the Golden Platter.”
“…The God of the Golden Platter?”
“Yes. The God of the Golden Platter, who shines at the undisputed number one in terms of Heavenly Council seats.”
Elbridge was greatly flustered.
The God of the Golden Platter was a deity who symbolized benevolence and wealth. Unlike the God of the Sunshower, he was also a fairly popular deity even in the distant past.
However, the vast majority of those who followed the God of the Golden Platter were merchants, and it was a deity rarely believed in by those who had to risk their lives to fight, such as knights or mercenaries. What meaning did wealth hold in a life where one could not even know if they would live or die tomorrow?
To make matters worse, among the powers bestowed by the God of the Golden Platter, there were almost none that would be helpful in battle.
A knight without combat-related powers? Elbridge had never even thought of such a thing.
“Isn’t it normal for knights to serve the God of the Laurel Wreath or the God of the Bloody Spear? You know, the kind that provides help on the battlefield…”
“Though I may be old, I am also a proper knight. There is no need for divine power when dealing with things like wolves or bears.”
“But there are magic beasts.”
“Even if one lives as a knight for a lifetime, encountering a magic beast three times is considered a lot. Abandoning the wealth and abundance that can be enjoyed throughout a lifetime for the sake of three encounters does not make economic sense.”
Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Elbridge’s mind.
On the day he ate dinner with the old woman who knew the name of the Order of the Rusty Shield a few days ago, Elbridge had asked her.
That it was difficult to understand why the Order of the Rusty Shield had suddenly declined, and whether perhaps some major incident had occurred within the Order.
At the time, the old woman had replied.
‘Would such a change really require a major incident?’
Elbridge only now understood the meaning of those words.
It wasn’t because a major incident occurred that the Order of the Rusty Shield was ruined.
It was because a major incident did not occur that the Order of the Rusty Shield was ruined.
It was a world where demons had vanished without a trace and magic beasts had become rare.
There was no reason for believers to remain in the Order of the Rusty Shield, which symbolized indomitable will, devotion, and the courage to never give up until the very end.
Moreover, that was not the end of it.
Walter glanced around and then lowered his voice, offering a proposal to Elbridge.
“It seems that, unlike your parents, your faith is not very deep, so why not transfer to this side on this occasion? Coincidentally, this year an event is underway to commemorate the God of the Golden Platter surpassing sixty seats for the first time in history.”
“…An event?”
“The Order Transfer Benefit Event.”
“…”
Even two hundred years ago, shifting Orders based on the required powers occurred quite often.
Such as serving the God of the Laurel Wreath, who symbolized victory and glory, while active as a knight rolling on the battlefield, and then following the Goddess of the Olive Tree or the God of the Golden Platter, who symbolized peace and abundance, after retirement.
Of course, elderly folk would despise such individuals, calling them apostates.
However, when Elbridge was a mere snot-nosed kid, a new bill was enacted in the Heavenly Council, and the world changed slightly.
It was a bill prohibiting gods from directly or indirectly retaliating against believers who changed their Order, since every person possesses freedom of faith.
In those days, Elbridge used to think that the era was truly freewheeling.
Yet, even in such a freewheeling era, a concept as terrifying as an ‘Order Transfer Benefit Event’ did not exist.
Perhaps taking Elbridge’s shocked appearance as hesitation and inner conflict, Walter’s voice grew slightly more suggestive.
“Think about it seriously. It’s not as if the God of the Golden Platter won those sixty-one seats in a gamble, you know? Moreover, if a person like you whose family has carried on the faith for generations switches Orders, the benefits are even greater. You will likely enjoy significant wealth luck for easily ten or fifteen years to come.”
Elbridge’s pupils shook in bewilderment.
Seeing that, Walter smirked and rose from his seat.
“Elbridge. Life is long. Ponder it carefully and make a decision. And if the priest asks who your referrer is, don’t forget to answer that it is Sir Walter, the knight of the Riverford Barony…”
Walter left the spot.
However, Elbridge sat with his head deeply bowed, in agony.
He had thought that even if he spent two hundred years inside the seal, he would be able to adapt to the world somehow.
But now, he lacked confidence. The span of two hundred years had changed too many things from their very foundations.
Just then, a faint voice was heard in Elbridge’s ears.
-Paladin Elbridge. Paladin Elbridge.
It was the Goddess of the Rusty Shield. He snapped out of it.
Yet, at the same time, the thought crossed his mind that the timing was a bit too coincidental.
Nevertheless, Elbridge knelt and reverently clasped his hands, replying in a quiet voice.
“Yes, Goddess.”
-Your Goddess vividly remembers the will of the paladin who did not bend before harsh storms, nor in the midst of long suffering. Your Goddess has no doubt that her most cherished child can resolutely overcome temptation as well.
It was a voice of the Goddess that any believer would naturally be deeply moved by.
However, having received an excessive shock just earlier, Elbridge ended up raising a slightly irreverent query.
“Goddess. Do we not have some kind of benefits or anything?”
-…
The Goddess’s voice was temporarily cut off.
The Goddess’s voice, heard once more, felt a little small and faint.
-Just as you have long yearned for freedom, do not forget that your Goddess has also sweetly endured an indefinite waiting. Furthermore, your Goddess is full of desire to tell you sweet stories, but since the current situation is not favorable to convey a long story, as for the details, in the Holy City Solenion we shall… static, crackle.
“Goddess? Goddess?”
Elbridge called out to the Goddess anxiously, but her answer did not return.