Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 78 - Start

Chapter 78 – Start

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The most interesting part of Niseras’s story was neither that he had failed to ascend nor that he had driven out the demons with ground boars.

Rather, the fact that Niseras had seized the opportunity to ascend three times caught Elbridge’s attention.

Although it was often overlooked because there were many gods in the heavens, the Chief God’s choice was not a common opportunity.

“Niseras. How rowdily did you live?”

“Rather than rowdily, I lived long. Even among elves, there would be few older than me.”

“Is that so?”

“To the point that I have even met several gods before their ascension. Come to think of it… I met the Goddess of the Rusty Shield before she ascended too.”

An enticing story popped out.

It just happened to be early morning. The time when the Goddess of the Rusty Shield was asleep.

Elbridge lowered his voice and asked.

“…By any chance, what kind of person was she?”

Even as Elbridge asked the question, he figured Niseras would not answer.

Hadn’t it been mostly the case that they would brush it off, saying they couldn’t tell stories about the heavens or divinity?

However, Niseras was the first exception Elbridge had encountered.

“Skaldrina who does not retreat. She was famous.”

“…!”

Since it was customary for earthly beings to discard their names upon ascending, not many gods had their earthly names known. Naturally, it was also the first time Elbridge had heard the Goddess’s real name.

That wasn’t the end. Niseras continued the story as if sharing news of a neighbor.

“The paladin whom the people of those days loved the most was surely Skaldrina.”

“Really? I suppose she was the strongest paladin?”

“Of course, her skills were good. I don’t know if she was the strongest, but… Skaldrina was loved not for her skill, but for her personality. Contrary to her sharp appearance, she was soft-hearted and indecisive. Oh, by the way, your Goddess isn’t listening to this, is she?”

Even though he knew there was no one around, Elbridge lowered his voice.

“Don’t worry. It’s the time when the Goddess is sleeping. Anyway, why does that become a reason to be loved?”

“Because she frequently held out without retreating even in situations where an ordinary knight would have to retreat.”

The leadership of each order does not highly evaluate a knight whose tactical judgment is slow or who is not cold-headed.

However, looking from the perspective of the people behind the paladin, the story changes.

Holding out without retreating even when she had to retreat meant that she sometimes saved people who should have died, and it meant the protected people had the highest chance of survival.

“Anyway, you get a feeling as soon as you see people who are likely to become gods. When I first saw Skaldrina, I was also sure. ‘Ah, she will ascend…’ Sure enough, it turned out exactly as I predicted. I heard she ascended with her friend not long after.”

Because Niseras’s story was so unprecedented, Elbridge grew worried belatedly.

“Niseras. Is it okay to tell me stories like that? Transmitting stories of the heavens to the earth is a taboo.”

“This isn’t a story of the heavens. It’s me, an earthly being, telling a story of the earthly days of someone who belonged to the earth. How could I leak heavenly information when I haven’t even properly set foot in the heavens?”

This was a tremendous opportunity. Niseras was someone who remembered a distant past that wasn’t even passed down as legend, and he could tell those stories.

There was a mountain of things he wanted to ask.

But right now, the person who came to Elbridge’s mind was the Central Mage Tower Lord.

Could the Central Mage Tower Lord’s instruction to go south to the Lake of Eternity have been done with Niseras in mind too? Could they have thought Niseras would tell him about Leonhardt?

It wouldn’t matter even if he was barking up the wrong tree.

Elbridge figured Niseras would not be ignorant of Sir Leonhardt.

“Do you know Sir Leonhardt too?”

“Leonhardt of the Order of the Rusty Shield? I only shared a word or two with him at most. Come to think of it…”

Niseras stared intently at Elbridge.

“You must be the one Leonhardt spoke of. The fellow who could have ascended but failed to. I see why he said that. You’re a fellow worthy of rising to the heavens.”

“Me?”

“I said it earlier, right? You get a feeling about someone who’s likely to ascend just by looking at them. You will seize the opportunity to ascend someday. If not in this life, then in the next.”

Niseras’s words were closer to an affirmation than a guess.

Elbridge’s heart beat clamorously.

Me, becoming a god in the heavens?

“Of course, not right now. The gate to rise to the heavens is narrowing, so you will have to achieve even greater skill and many feats. Surely you aren’t already satisfied with your skill?”

“…Of course not.”

Only recently, because the capacities of other paladins were so inferior, there were few occasions to realize it, but Elbridge himself knew better than anyone that the path he had to go was long.

Even putting his age aside, Elbridge was a highly skilled person, but he wasn’t someone who could be discussed as the best. At least, that was the case based on those days.

Niseras scrolled through his pocket and said.

“Hardships follow a hero. Elbridge. When the hardest moment, a moment when help is desperately needed, arrives, ask me for help. It will be helpful to each other. You will be able to get through the crisis, and I will seize my fourth opportunity to rise to the heavens.”

What Niseras pulled out of his pocket was a silver coin engraved with his profile.

It was surely an object containing magical power.

‘Where on earth did he make such a thing…’

Elbridge pocketed the silver coin and asked.

“Was becoming a god your goal too?”

“Yes. I will become the god of half-breeds and crossbreeds, the abandoned, and those stuck in between.”

He had guessed that Niseras was of mixed blood. Because pure-blooded elves rarely left the northern forests.

At that time, Niseras asked Elbridge.

“By the way, why is the fellow who was said to be sealed with the Great Demon wandering around now?”

“The seal was broken around this time last year.”

“Who broke the seal?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know who broke it, or if it was broken naturally.”

Niseras knitted his brows.

“No. If a living being was used as the nucleus of the seal, the situation in which the seal is released is one of two. First, when you gave up everything and met death. Second, when someone broke the seal. There is no exception.”

Information he hadn’t known popped out. When Elbridge’s eyes widened, Niseras’s expression turned a bit more complicated.

“Is this the first time you’ve learned of this?”

“Yes.”

“Elbridge. This is information you would naturally find out if you looked for a decent mage. Your not knowing this means… you did not try to find out who broke the seal.”

That was certainly true. Elbridge had only wondered briefly about the reason the seal was broken, but had never tried to look into why he was freed. Not even once.

Elbridge explained the circumstances in a slightly quieter voice.

“I was busy with this and that. The situation of the order was critical too. And it wasn’t a situation where I could comfortably reveal my identity…”

“No. That’s not it.”

Niseras cut off Elbridge’s words.

“You are not a fool. When you were released from the seal, you would have first wondered about the reason you were released. There is only one reason you haven’t looked for that reason until now.”

“…What is it?”

“You simply became satisfied with the current situation of being released from the seal. You didn’t want to think about why you were released. Isn’t that so?”

Elbridge’s heart sank.

Like in childhood, when caught doing something bad by an adult.

When Elbridge lost his words, Niseras gestured to the ground boar.

Then, the ground boar that was carrying Elbridge crouched down, naturally letting Elbridge down to the ground.

Niseras spoke one last time.

“Contact me if you need help. Elbridge.”

*

When Elbridge returned to the village, the herd of ground boars had already vanished without a trace.

Rombel and Marcus had also woken up, and Martha, the village chief, had finished preparing to guide Elbridge’s party. She had both hands full with packed lunches prepared for the three.

“Follow me!”

Even though the period they stayed in the village was barely a day or two, Marcus was strangely close to Martha.

While the two were chatting sweetly, Rombel approached Elbridge.

“Where did you go in the morning?”

“Just, went to get some fresh air.”

Though he answered like that, all sorts of thoughts swirled in Elbridge’s head.

Was I really just satisfied with the current situation?

It was hard to deny.

The waiting, which he couldn’t know when it would end or if it even had an end, was so agonizing.

It was hard to count how many times he had regretted volunteering to become the nucleus of the seal. He had only endured because he lacked the courage to give up.

Because the circumstances were such, the embarrassment he felt on the day he was released from the seal was brief.

He was inwardly glad of the Goddess’s oracle saying he had done enough and now she wanted him to rest.

Although he claimed with his mouth that he would rebuild the order without turning his eyes from his duty, in reality, that was the most definite evasion.

Wasn’t it a declaration that he would turn his eyes away from the big problem and only look after the order?

He had not tried to face the problems that had befallen the world.

He had not tried to touch the problems that could be a headache.

He had not even seriously pondered a solution.

He had merely enjoyed his reclaimed life, making excuses that he was busy and had a heap of work to do for the Goddess and the order.

His chest was heavy. But conversely, Elbridge’s mind cleared up.

Elbridge offered a prayer.

“Goddess.”

—I am listening. Elbridge.

“I think I will become even busier in the future.”

—Haven’t you been busy all this time? I have never seen you rest in peace. Did something happen?

“Seeing and experiencing various things in the Great Forest, many thoughts came to mind. A heap of tasks to be done occurred to me.”

—You are already doing well, so do not overdo it. A person is like a bowstring; if you pull too hard, trouble will surely follow.

“I will deeply uphold your words, Goddess.”

However, unlike the Goddess’s words, Elbridge considered the past year to be a rest.

Now was the time to string the bow.

Since the situation of the order had also caught its breath, it was time to go beyond immediate issues and approach more fundamental problems.

“We’re all here!”

After half a day of traveling along with Martha, the Great Forest ended, and a wide meadow unfolded in front of the party’s eyes.

Martha hugged Marcus tightly, and then waved her hand to Elbridge’s party.

“If you have reason to come to the south, come visit! Especially Mr. Marcus, you must come!”

Martha brought both hands to her mouth and blew a kiss to the departing Marcus.

In contrast, Marcus waved his hand to Martha with a broad grin.

“I will make a fortune and come to pick you up, so wait just a bit!”

It was clear that there had been great progress between the two in a short period.

…

Apart from them matching strangely well, Elbridge and Rombel thought that sight was a bit displeasing.

“Let’s see.”

Marcus used the position of the sun to gauge the direction.

Naturally, the destination was eastern Solenion.

“It is that way. Let’s go.”

However, Elbridge did not walk after Marcus.

“No. There is a place I must stop by first.”

“A place to stop by? Are you going to pass through the mountain city? Or Middlemarch?”

Elbridge shook his head.

“The place where I was sealed for two hundred years.”

The rest is over.

Fortunately, at least, it wasn’t that he had only played during the past year.

Some influence.

Trustworthy companions.

And the strength to endure battles.

With this, the minimum preparation was completed.

The time has come to dig into all problems from square one.

In the end, all answers would lie in one place.

“First, I am going to find out who released the seal of the Great Demon.”