Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 55 - Wandering

Chapter 55 – Wandering

===================

Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

Overturn the board. Grasp everything you can lay your hands on, whether three seats or five seats.

It was certainly an enticing proposal. Had the Goddess of the Rusty Shield heard that, would she not have shed tears of deep emotion?

However, there was one highly important problem with the oracle delivered by the God of the Sunshower.

‘···Just how?’

Was it because other orders did not want to increase their seats that they refrained from doing so?

No. They simply failed to achieve it because there was no way to do so.

Yet how could the Order of the Rusty Shield lay its hands on several seats all at once?

Even worse, today was only the second day of voting. The time remaining until the voting deadline was a mere four days, including today.

Elbridge asked.

“God of the Sunshower. Please teach me that method.”

Thereupon, Marcus answered on behalf of the God of the Sunshower.

“Ponder it yourself.”

As Elbridge wore a subtle expression, Marcus waved his hands.

“I told you, I only delivered the oracle sent down by the God of the Sunshower exactly as it was. The oracle has ended.”

“···I understand. Thank you. Both to the God of the Sunshower and to you, Mr. Marcus.”

Elbridge crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.

‘Until now, the God of the Sunshower has never spoken empty words. There must be some way···.’

The problem was that an ordinary human could not possess a vision as broad as the God of the Sunshower’s.

As Elbridge fell into contemplation, Marcus rose from his seat.

“I will leave the earnings made in the center here. Since items that are ambiguous to dispose of or divide will be left with Mr. Rombel, let us talk about it again later···. See you later.”

“I understand. Take care.”

After seeing Marcus off, Elbridge walked in circles around the temple as he continued his thoughts.

Since it was an early hour when even Matilda had not yet come to work, there was no one to disturb Elbridge’s thoughts.

‘Let us think about it from the beginning.’

Currently, there were three entities acting around the late-stage seats.

The combat orders.

The non-combat orders.

The White Hands.

‘Negotiating with the combat orders is···.’

It did not seem like a very good method. Had the God of the Sunshower not asserted that the combat orders of the Shantytown would keep the Order of the Rusty Shield in check?

‘But it is worth hearing what they have to say.’

Having resolved his mind, Elbridge headed straight to the Temple of the Bloody Spear.

*

Felix was not at the Temple of the Bloody Spear. However, a priest recognized Elbridge.

“Are you not Sir Elbridge? What business brings you here?”

“Could I meet the Chief Paladin?”

“Please wait a moment.”

The priest scurried away and soon reappeared.

“Sir Elbridge. You may come this way.”

Elbridge followed the priest to the back of the temple.

Perhaps because he had been training since morning, the Chief Paladin greeted Elbridge while wiping his sweat with a towel.

“Is it not Sir Elbridge? What business brings you to visit?”

During the last Grand Festival, Elbridge had faced five paladins of the Order of the Bloody Spear alone and then surrendered. Although it was unintentional, he had essentially insulted the Order of the Bloody Spear.

Fortunately, however, both then and now, the Chief Paladin did not seem to mind that matter much.

“Felix spoke to me yesterday. He said the combat orders plan to gather and negotiate with the non-combat orders.”

“That is correct. The combat orders must grasp as many seats as possible by any means. If the Order of the Rusty Shield participates, it will be a great strength.”

An invitation far more polite and powerful than expected.

‘This is more serious than I thought.’

Elbridge viewed the current situation through the eyes of the Chief Paladin of the Order of the Bloody Spear.

The Chief Paladin did not know the incident that had occurred in the Mountain City Barkuntol. The Order of the Rusty Shield in his eyes was merely a small order consisting of a single paladin and around three hundred believers.

Even if they combined all the seats of the Shantytown orders, it amounted to barely seven or eight.

Yet, there was a difference as vast as heaven and earth between an order with a seat and one without.

In their eyes, the Order of the Rusty Shield with its three hundred believers could not possibly be satisfactory.

Yet now, the Order of the Bloody Spear actively sought to draw Elbridge into the negotiations.

Was it because they needed the three hundred believers?

No. The only thing they desired was Elbridge.

“Chief Paladin. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“If we successfully complete the negotiations with the non-combat orders and receive the support of the White Hands, how do you plan to distribute the votes?”

“We plan to actively collect the opinions of each order and present a fair standard. Since there is not much time left, completing the negotiations as quickly as possible will lengthen the time available to gather opinions.”

Elbridge nodded.

“I see. I understand.”

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“No. Not yet.”

“If anything you are curious about comes up, visit anytime. The faster the decision, the better.”

Leaving the Temple of the Bloody Spear, Elbridge thought.

‘Actively collect opinions, and present a fair standard···.’

At a first listen, it sounded like a principled and harmless reply.

Under normal circumstances, Elbridge would not have harbored any doubts.

However, right now was immediately after having spoken with the God of the Sunshower.

‘How would the God of the Sunshower have received that story?’

A fair standard mostly meant a uniform standard, and actively collecting opinions carried the implication that the opinions of the minority would not be considered.

In other words, there was a high probability that the interests of the minor order, the Rusty Shield, would hardly be reflected in the standard presented after negotiations.

‘That is a natural flow. Rather than twisting the standard artificially to satisfy our order, it would be better to eliminate the dissatisfaction of all other orders.’

Thinking up to that point, one more suspicious part became visible.

‘···By the way, the distribution standard still hasn’t been decided?’

There were barely four days left until the end of the voting, and Elbridge had returned just yesterday.

Rather than the probability of the ‘fair standard’ not being decided, there was a higher probability of a situation where they were not informing Elbridge of a standard that was already determined.

‘Is there a reason they wouldn’t inform me of the standard?’

Yes.

If the ‘fair standard’ they had established was disadvantageous to the Order of the Rusty Shield, it was advantageous for them not to make that standard known to Elbridge now.

Assessing the current situation from the angle presented by the God of the Sunshower, possibilities that had not been visible before came into sight.

Was it because it had been a long time since he thought so desperately? His head throbbed.

‘Did the God of the Sunshower know all the way up to this point?’

In nine cases out of ten, he surely did.

Elbridge was inwardly filled with admiration.

‘Indeed, it must mean that those eight seats were not given for nothing.’

At that moment, an oracle was heard in his ear.

– Elbridge. Your expression is serious. Is it because your goddess gave you an excessive burden yesterday?

Elbridge focused on how to reply for a moment, and then offered a prayer.

“If I have your support, Goddess, it feels like all problems will be resolved.”

– Yes. Cheer up, Elbridge!

“···.”

Elbridge received the goddess’s cheering, but somehow felt strange.

*

Leaving the negotiation to the combat orders and picking up crumbs was not the best policy.

Now, only one path remained for Elbridge. To move alone without mixing among the combat orders.

‘Must I go find the representative of the White Hands?’

No. That was an impossible choice. Since he had heard that the White Hands were those who followed only money.

The only thing they desired was money.

Yet Elbridge and the Order of the Rusty Shield could not offer a huge sum capable of moving six or seven seats.

In other words, negotiations themselves were impossible.

‘No. If I sweep all of the order’s assets, it feels like we might be able to scrape together enough for barely two seats···.’

However, the God of the Sunshower surely had not delivered the oracle expecting such a conclusion.

Elbridge pushed that method to the very end.

‘I should visit the non-combat orders and request them to support me instead of the other combat orders.’

Among the non-combat orders with branches in Solenion, there were two that were uniquely large in scale.

The 61-seat Order of the Golden Platter. And the 37-seat Order of the Olive Tree.

‘It would be better to visit the Order of the Golden Platter first, as there is at least a slight connection.’

Elbridge descended the hill and arrived at the Temple of the Golden Platter.

Unlike the temples in the Shantytown, the Temple of the Golden Platter was bustling with believers. The scale of the temple was easily twenty times larger than that of the Order of the Rusty Shield.

Elbridge spoke to the first priest he encountered.

“Priest.”

“Yes? Who are you?”

“I am Elbridge, the Chief Paladin and Archbishop of the Order of the Rusty Shield. By any chance, could I see the Archbishop?”

“The Archbishop is in the south.”

Since the Order of the Golden Platter wielded influence across the entire continent, there was no reason for the Archbishop to be in the east.

“Then who would be the highest-ranking person in the Eastern Diocese?”

“Deputy Bishop Heinz is in charge of the east.”

“Could I meet the Deputy Bishop?”

“It will be difficult. He is a very busy person.”

“Please. Just pass along the word.”

The priest said in a difficult manner.

“Then···. Would you wait for a little while?”

“I understand.”

The priest slipped away.

However, Elbridge could already guess the result.

He would surely be rejected. No, it would not even be delivered to the Deputy Bishop.

‘Is there no one who can help?’

While Elbridge was looking around, a plump middle-aged man raised his hand high.

“Oh, isn’t that Sir Elbridge?”

“Ummm···.”

It was a face he had seen somewhere before, but he could not recall well where he had seen it.

As Elbridge hesitated, the man smiled broadly and pointed at his own eyes. Only then did Elbridge realize who the opponent was.

It was Rob, the paladin instructor whose eyes had been eaten away by the crow magic beast.

“···So it was you, Sir Rob.”

“Haha! I thought I should go offer my thanks once my eyes were completely healed, but after they healed, you weren’t at the temple.”

Whether he had completely forgotten the slightly uncomfortable atmosphere of that time, Rob’s way of speaking was extremely friendly. Naturally, it was a good thing for Elbridge.

“I returned yesterday after leaving to take care of some business.”

“Good. I will go offer a donation to the Order of the Rusty Shield soon. By the way, what business brings you to visit?”

“I came wishing to see if I could meet the Deputy Bishop.”

“Wait a moment. I will go ask right away···.”

There was confidence in Rob’s tone. He seemed to hold quite a high position within the order.

Unsurprisingly, Rob, who had disappeared, returned in an instant and gestured to Elbridge.

“Come this way.”

Rob guided Elbridge in front of the Deputy Bishop’s office and then slightly opened the door for him.

Elbridge bowed to Rob and stepped inside the Deputy Bishop’s office.

In the Deputy Bishop’s office, there was a table piled high with papers, and beyond that table sat a scrawny old man.

‘So that person is the leader of the Eastern Diocese of the Order of the Golden Platter···.’

High-ranking ecclesiastics usually had wrinkles gathered at the outer corners of their eyes.

However, Deputy Bishop Heinz was a person with more wrinkles between his eyebrows than at the corners of his eyes.

Elbridge entered, but Deputy Bishop Heinz did not look at him.

He was still looking at the stack of papers on his desk as he spoke.

“You came from the Order of the Rusty Shield?”

“Yes.”

“They said the knight who rescued Rob made grand exploits during the Grand Festival···. I have many stories I want to share, but unfortunately, it is the Year-End, so there is no time. May I hear your business first?”

He did not even know if the man was listening properly.

However, since beating around the bush in front of a busy person seemed like a bad choice, Elbridge spoke directly.

“Deputy Bishop. I heard that you are preparing negotiations with the combat orders over the remaining seats.”

At that, Deputy Bishop Heinz slightly knit his brows.

“Negotiation? No. Those fellows merely semi-notified me. Seeing that you visited me separately···. It seems you have no intention of mixing among them, correct?”

“That is correct.”

Deputy Bishop Heinz was a person with extremely fast conversational progression.

In his youth, might he have been a merchant rather than a priest?

Deputy Bishop Heinz dipped his quill deep into ink and said as he wrote something down.

“Right. Do you think there is a reason for the Order of the Golden Platter to negotiate with you instead of them?”

“I have only one thing to put forward. My skill.”

“I heard the story that you defeated five paladins of the Order of the Bloody Spear alone during the last Grand Festival. But what about twenty or a hundred? There is a limit to one person replacing many. It means we have no reason to choose you instead of other combat orders.”

At first listen, it felt like a cold rejection.

However, Elbridge realized that Deputy Bishop Heinz was lending an ear to his answer.

“No. There is a reason.”

“Speak.”

“I can become their leader.”

“That is your wishful thinking.”

“There should be no other paladin in Solenion who has sealed a demon besides me.”

The hand of Deputy Bishop Heinz, which was dancing upon the paper, came to a halt.

And Heinz raised his head for the first time to look directly at Elbridge.

“Seal? A seal, not battle?”

“Yes. A seal.”

“···I swear by the God of the Golden Platter, if even slightly different answer returned, I would have told you not to waste my time and get out.”

Deputy Bishop Heinz inserted his quill into the ink bottle and pointed at the chair placed across from the table.

“Sit. Let’s have a little talk.”