Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 50 - The Most Needed Thing

Chapter 50 – The Most Needed Thing

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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As the Deputy Tower Lord pointed her staff, the body of the mage who had been afflicted by the demon was engulfed in intense flames.

“···!”

The mage, who was not yet dead, writhed his entire body in agony.

However, the Deputy Tower Lord did not withdraw the magic she had cast. In the end, the mage suffered a little longer before ceasing to move.

And even after the mage drew his last breath, the flames did not die down.

“If she was going to end his suffering, there would have been many better ways. How cruel···.”

Marcus muttered, and Elbridge replied.

“She did not burn him to kill him. She was cutting off the nutrients.”

Marcus looked at the corpse again.

Bizarrely, the sprout that had shot out from the dead mage’s body did not burn even within the flames, fully maintaining its own color.

However, because the corpse was burned away and lost almost all its nutrients, the sprout could not grow as rapidly as it had just moments ago.

“If she had not burned that mage completely, a new flower would have bloomed from the sprout and scattered pollen again. It would have repeated until everyone in this space died.”

Marcus grimaced in disgust.

When he first saw the appearance of this demon, Marcus thought it would be easier to handle than the warping-type magic beast he had seen in the Mountain City. After all, a blindfolded woman was less threatening than a giant arm of monstrous strength.

But that was an illusion. Rather than being done in without even knowing how, it was much more comfortable to face a demon of monstrous strength.

At that moment, the Deputy Tower Lord instructed the mages.

“Mages. Raise the flames.”

Countless mages followed the instruction and chanted their spells. Soon, flames rose around the white demon and enveloped it.

However, just as the flames earlier could not burn the sprout, the flames did not pose much of a threat to the white demon. Similarly, the sprouts and flower buds created by the demon also withstood the flames.

But only one thing. The pollen coughed up by the flower buds could not overcome the flames.

‘Did they figure out in advance that the pollen causes the problem, and that they can block the pollen with fire?’

The mages could not burn the demon, and the pollen could not penetrate the flames.

A delicate stalemate ensued between the mages and the demon.

Elbridge glanced back. The trio of employers still had not left their spots.

“Please leave.”

Millia replied to Elbridge’s instruction.

“I… I haven’t met Imelda yet.”

A name he was hearing for the first time popped out.

Only then did Elbridge realize that Millia had arrived here while tracking the whereabouts of her classmate.

Yet paradoxically, Millia did not seem to have that much interest in her classmate.

Her classmate’s name was merely an excuse. Rather, what held Millia back was the mages’ characteristic desire to investigate. The curiosity of wanting to watch what kind of existence a demon was, and how mages could face a demon.

Elbridge said.

“If you are going to stay here, I cannot take responsibility for your safety.”

“I know.”

Frowning slightly, Elbridge looked at Mitchell, Millia’s older brother.

Even though Mitchell had been the first to try to escape the scene, he was now silently holding his ground as if he had never done so.

“Are you planning to stay too, Mr. Mitchell?”

“My only sister says she will stay, so how could I leave by myself?”

“Take her away by force if you must.”

“You must not know this, but older brothers can never win against their younger sisters.”

Joking in the midst of this. As Elbridge frowned, Mitchell added another word.

“There is one more reason. Mr. El. You have no intention of escaping right now, do you?”

“That is correct.”

“Patrick and I are knights belonging to the Mage Tower, and Millia is also a mage of the Mage Tower. Even if our sneaking in here is discovered, it will likely end with just a disciplinary action. But for you, Mr. El, and Mr. Marcus, it is different. It will not end with just minor trouble, so our testimony that we brought you two here will be necessary.”

“Please just wait in a safe place and give your testimony later.”

Mitchell shook his head.

“If we leave this scene, we might end up in a situation where we cannot testify even if we want to.”

Mitchell had no obligation to guarantee the safety of Elbridge and Marcus.

Yet Mitchell was saying he would risk danger for the two of them. Of course, half of it was probably due to Millia’s stubbornness.

“Mr. El. You can tell me what I should do, right? What should I do now?”

“Stay by Miss Millia’s side along with Mr. Patrick, and if the situation becomes dangerous, use whatever means necessary to escape with Miss Millia. Similarly, Miss Millia, focus only on protecting the two beside you. The three of you are holding each other’s lifelines.”

“Understood.”

Marcus asked tentatively.

“El. Should I stay with these people too?”

“···Do not talk nonsense.”

“I have absolutely no idea what to do, though.”

“Even if there is nothing to do, stay as close to me as possible. And you can endlessly ponder what you can do.”

In a way, it seemed like he was irresponsibly dragging Marcus into danger. But Elbridge had a good reason for doing so.

The God of the Sunshower was watching Marcus closely.

Since the clever God of the Sunshower would not leave Marcus to die in vain, Marcus had to accumulate as much experience as possible through this opportunity.

‘There are many helpers, and the compatibility between that demon and me is excellent. It is rare for Marcus to have a chance to observe a demon more safely than this.’

Having made his decision, Elbridge walked forward with steady steps. A tense Marcus also stood by Elbridge’s side.

When two uninvited guests who were not even wearing armor appeared, a look of perplexity settled on the Deputy Tower Lord’s face.

“These are faces I have not seen before. Who are you?”

“Elbridge, Chief Paladin of the Order of the Rusty Shield from East Solenion. This is Marcus of the Order of the God of the Sunshower.”

Marcus stiffened rigidly.

To think that he, who had been a mere mercenary not too long ago, would stand right in the center, not just dipping a toe in, on such a grand stage.

It was immensely burdensome, but at the same time, he felt a little proud. Marcus unconsciously puffed out his chest.

The Deputy Tower Lord asked.

“The Mage Tower has never invited you. How did you get in?”

In Elbridge’s experience, detailed explanations were better left until after the job was finished.

Therefore, Elbridge answered somewhat brazenly.

“In Middlemarch, can only invited paladins hunt demons?”

“Ha.”

“Please temporarily lower the curtain of fire. I will personally carve out the demon’s heart.”

But naturally, the Deputy Tower Lord did not accept Elbridge’s request.

“We encountered unexpected situations twice in the last six instances, and although there were some sacrifices, we overcame them all. We will handle it ourselves, so the uninvited guests should withdraw.”

“A demon is not a fool, and two successes do not guarantee a third.”

“Don’t you think that is a much better judgment than leaving everyone’s lives to an uninvited guest?”

“Let me tell you in advance. If you leave this matter to me, I can subdue that demon without a single casualty.”

“I will decline.”

It was not an incomprehensible situation. In their eyes, Elbridge was merely an uninvited guest of unknown origin.

However, he was in a position where he could not seal the demon without the cooperation of the mages.

Elbridge took a step back and lowered his sword. It was an expression of intent to respect the Deputy Tower Lord’s judgment.

Only then did the Deputy Tower Lord instruct the mages.

“Begin.”

About seventy to eighty percent of the flames surrounding the demon vanished. Then, instead of the flames, seals resembling nets appeared in the air one after another, passing through the burning fire and beginning to cover the demon.

Elbridge marveled inwardly as he watched that spectacle.

‘The mages of the past could not do that.’

Just as magic and divine power repel each other, spells of different natures also repel each other.

But now, different types of magic existed in the same phase without harming each other’s existence.

Even more, it was accomplished not by two, but by dozens, hundreds of mages. How much research must countless mages have repeated for this moment?

He recalled what Rombel had said. That the paladins and knights who lost their enemies declined, but the mages who did not need enemies made dazzling progress.

The seals that passed through the flames bound the demon tight.

Perhaps due to a small mistake, a few mages spat blood and collapsed, but the majority of the mages silently carried out their roles.

‘···At this rate, the situation might finish without me even stepping in.’

However, there was one thing the mages, who focused on deploying magic, failed to consider.

The demon’s two legs buried in the rock.

Without anyone noticing, slender roots spread in all directions through the demon’s feet.

And quietly, small flower buds emerged from the roots that rose above the ground.

The first person to discover those flower buds was Marcus, who had been anxiously looking around.

Marcus shouted in surprise.

“Look at your feet!”

Countless mages bowed their heads to look down.

Under some people’s feet, there were flower buds; under others, there were none.

“···!”

Their responses were also diverse.

Experienced mages immediately stopped the magic they were casting and created a curtain of fire surrounding themselves and those nearby. However, inexperienced mages could not immediately think of what they should do.

Luck, and skill.

Those two factors divided life and death.

“Watch out···!”

Before someone’s shout could even finish,

Pop.

Dozens of flower buds burst simultaneously, scattering pollen.

Dozens of mages clutched their throats at the same time.

From their mucous membranes, and from the small wounds on their skin. Flesh and bone fragments that had no need to exist repeatedly grew at will and ruptured.

Over-healing. That was indeed the most threatening ability this demon possessed.

Even if they were mages capable of deploying hundreds of spells, once they inhaled the pollen, there was no way to counter it.

The mages struggled to sustain their uncontrollably multiplying bodies, but it was all in vain.

“···.”

Invisible pollen drifted through the air. It was an invisible death.

The surviving mages, each enveloping their surroundings in flames, looked at each other, hoping someone would suggest a solution.

Yet there was no one who could present a solution.

It was a situation where all the mages were trapped inside their own tiny shelters.

With the mages’ movement restricted, the white demon, on the contrary, regained its freedom.

The white demon sang in a low voice and spread its two slender arms.

At that, sprouts shot up on its pure white shoulders and two arms, vines grew to wrap around its entire body, and small flowers bloomed. Just like a stone statue left abandoned for hundreds of years.

A situation where they failed to cope with the unexpected event with prepared countermeasures. Flustered, the Deputy Tower Lord shouted.

“Maintain your composure and distribute your magic power. Hold out until the Tower Lord arrives.”

However, there was no confidence in the Deputy Tower Lord’s voice.

Since they could not make contact with the Mage Tower Lord, they could not know when he would appear either.

If things were delayed, he might show up only after everyone was dead.

At that time, Elbridge muttered, blocking his nose and mouth with his left forearm.

“Even though I said the third time wouldn’t work. Good grief.”

Narrowing his eyes, Elbridge notified the Deputy Tower Lord.

“I will step in now. If you have the leeway, please cast a haste spell on me.”

“The situation has turned out like this···. Is there a way?”

“There is.”

Normally, if a situation had gone wrong to this extent, even Elbridge would have no particular way.

Simply escaping with one’s life intact would be a great success.

But now, the situation was exceptional.

The compatibility between the white demon and the mages was decent, but the compatibility between that demon and Elbridge was even better. To the point where it felt it could not be any better.

Elbridge, still blocking his nose and mouth with his left forearm, offered a prayer.

“O Goddess. Bestow authority upon me.”

The Goddess of the Rusty Shield replied immediately.

– Elbridge. What authority do you wish for?

“Goddess. Where is the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss, by any chance?”

The hidden authority possessed by the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.

The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss Summoning.

– She is right next to me.

“Please convey this to the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss. Tell her to block all healing abilities that dwell within me···.”

Among the white demon’s abilities, the most threatening was without a doubt over-healing.

And the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss was a deity possessing the most powerful authority regarding healing.

The authority of healing was not limited to elevating healing power. On the contrary, blocking healing power was also one of the authorities held by the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.

The Goddess of the Rusty Shield replied.

– It shall be so.

An unexpected pillar of light appeared in the underground of the Mage Tower, enveloping Elbridge.

As he received that light, Elbridge realized instinctively. That the authority bestowed by the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss was protecting him.

Elbridge removed his left arm that had been blocking his nose and mouth and pointed his sword at the demon.

The mages, Marcus, and the trio of employers were terrified at the sight. However, unlike the other victims, Elbridge was perfectly fine.

Elbridge took a deep breath.

And letting himself be carried by the anger and passion he had not felt in a long time, he declared as if spitting it out.

“I will carve out your heart.”

Elbridge kicked off the ground vigorously and ran toward the demon.

But before Elbridge could even take two steps, an oracle came down in a slightly anxious voice.

– Elbridge.

If they were in the middle of battle, it might be different, but right now was before the full-scale combat actually began.

Elbridge naturally dropped to one knee and replied.

“Yes. Goddess.”

– By any chance… do you have nothing to ask of me···?

Without realizing it, Elbridge almost replied, ‘No. I have nothing.’

However, because Elbridge was a devout and thoughtful paladin, he knew that such a careless remark could deeply wound the Goddess’s heart.

Therefore, Elbridge offered a prayer to the Goddess.

“Of course, what I need most is your sincere cheering, Goddess.”

At that, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield delivered an oracle in a much brighter voice.

– Do your best, Elbridge.

Elbridge rose from his spot again and rushed toward the demon.