Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 84 - Dickens

Chapter 84 – Dickens

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Elbridge’s party arrived at the Riverford Barony.

Just like last year, the windmill on the hill was spinning leisurely.

Rombel spoke.

“It’s a leisurely territory.”

It was so a year ago, and it was so now.

However, Elbridge thought the expressions of the people of the Riverford Barony were not as bright as before.

“The lord’s castle is over there.”

Elbridge led the party.

Although there was no prior appointment, there was no faster way to meet the lord.

Fortunately, a bit of good luck followed. On the way to the lord’s castle, they encountered the familiar old knight, Walter.

Elbridge approached Walter and offered a handshake.

“Sir Walter. It has been a long time.”

However, Walter was slightly wary of Elbridge.

“Who might you be, Sir?”

“I am Elbridge. We hunted the wolf magic beast together.”

Walter was half-believing and half-doubting when he spotted Marcus beside Elbridge.

As Marcus bowed his head in greeting, Walter finally shook Elbridge’s hand.

“Was that around spring of last year? You’ve changed beyond recognition. Back then, you were so painfully thin, who would have thought you were such a handsome young man… Marcus. Nice to see you too.”

Following Elbridge, Marcus also shook hands with Walter.

Unlike typical knights, Walter treated the mercenary Marcus without any formality. He was a simple and easygoing man, both then and now.

Walter took the lead to guide the party and asked Elbridge.

“Sir Elbridge. Has something happened to your order in the meantime?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Haven’t you suddenly gained four seats? This is no ordinary matter. Something major must have happened.”

Walter was the second believer of the Order of the Rusty Shield. Though he himself was unaware of that fact.

“It was largely thanks to you, Sir Walter.”

“What did I do? That’s nonsense.”

Thinking Elbridge’s words were a joke, Walter laughed.

But there are people in the world who hold meaning simply by existing. Walter was precisely such a person.

“Have you come to meet the Lord?”

“For now… yes.”

“Great. I will guide you. By the way, we have two more precious guests. A priest of the Golden Platter Order and even a brother of the Steel Anvil.”

Rombel twitched his eyebrows slightly, but he did not bother to argue with Walter. It was because he knew well that it was a comment without malice.

“Sir Walter. How is the atmosphere in the territory lately?”

“To be honest… it’s not as good as before. Did you see the wooden fence that went up on the outskirts of the territory?”

“Yes.”

There was no fortress wall in the Riverford Barony.

At the very least, an inner wall surrounded the lord’s castle, but that was a structure holding no particular meaning. This was because the height of the wall was far too low.

It was said that Baron Riverford had started building the inner wall in an attempt to establish his authority as lord, but stopped because of the many complaints from the residents.

In any case, just a year ago, there was nothing marking the boundary between the Riverford Barony and the outer fields.

But now it was different. A wooden fence, crafted from sharpened logs, surrounded the territory.

“Magic beasts appear frequently, so the residents are anxious. That wooden fence was also built because of the magic beasts.”

“That won’t be nearly enough.”

Walter nodded.

“Last autumn, Sir Oswald lost his life while fighting a magic beast.”

Walter’s voice was slightly calm.

Over the year, Walter had grown a bit older, but far from weakening, he had become even stronger. Battle and death make the survivors even tougher.

“Are there only two knights in the barony now?”

“Fortunately, the Baron emptied his pockets to hire a hedge knight and a mercenary, allowing us to breathe a sigh of relief. But how long we can last… Sigh. What a foolish thing to say in front of guests.”

The old knight laughed awkwardly.

The party arrived at the lord’s castle.

Perhaps due to a shortage of troops, there was no one guarding the castle either. Walter guided the party to the front of the lord’s office and spoke toward the inside of the door.

“My Lord. Guests have arrived.”

“Bring them in.”

Perhaps because it was a relaxed barony, that was all the procedure required to meet the Baron.

As Elbridge’s party entered, Baron Riverford wore a slightly surprised expression.

“Who are these gentlemen?”

“It is Sir Elbridge. You met him last spring.”

“If it’s Elbridge… that thin friend? Goodness, it has been a long time. Have you been well?”

Over the past year, Baron Riverford’s white hair had noticeably increased.

It was easy to imagine how much worry he had been carrying.

“And the people beside you?”

“This side is the mercenary Marcus. And those two gentlemen are…”

Heinz took a step forward.

“I am Heinz, the Eastern Parish Bishop of the Golden Platter Order.”

Baron Riverford almost spilled his ink in surprise.

A parish bishop of the Golden Platter Order held power exceeding that of most nobles. To a degree incomparable to a tiny lord of the frontier.

Baron Riverford sprang up from his seat.

“Oh, please sit, Bishop. What brings you to such a humble territory?”

“Archbishop Elbridge mentioned that Viscount Dickens would be in this territory.”

“…Archbishop?”

The gazes of Baron Riverford and Walter pinned onto Elbridge. Elbridge felt a bit awkward.

“Sir Elbridge. Weren’t you a paladin?”

“It just turned out that way.”

It was the same for an archbishop of a mid-tier order, who was also a figure of power easily surpassing a frontier lord.

Especially in chaotic times like this, an archbishop of a combat order even more so.

Furthermore, Elbridge was someone who could not be placed on the same level as other archbishops of combat orders. Was Elbridge himself not the very identity of the Order of the Rusty Shield?

Baron Riverford grew even more tense.

“I-I see… By any chance, for what reason are you looking for Viscount Dickens?”

Vice Archbishop Heinz replied directly.

“Viscount Dickens is suspected of breaking the Great Demon’s seal.”

For a split second, Baron Riverford did not comprehend what that meant.

Immediately after, Baron Riverford’s eyes flew wide open.

“Is that true?”

“It is still only a suspicion.”

Marcus chimed in lazily.

“For now.”

Baron Riverford’s hand trembled so much that he ended up knocking over the ink bottle.

Black ink spread across the table. But Baron Riverford had no leisure to care about the ink.

“Although I was acquainted with Viscount Dickens… I had no idea he committed such a deed. None at all. None whatsoever.”

“I believe you. Where is Viscount Dickens?”

“He returned to his territory.”

Elbridge knit his brows slightly.

“Didn’t you say that all the residents of Viscount Dickens’s territory had vanished?”

Elbridge had never been to Viscount Dickens’s territory himself.

However, the probability of that being incorrect information was extremely low. Unlike Elbridge, the Golden Platter Order would surely have sent people to Viscount Dickens’s territory to verify if the contents of the letter were true.

“Viscount Dickens… No, Viscount Dickens said he would rebuild the territory somehow.”

That was absurd. Rebuilding a territory was not something a lord could achieve by his individual strength alone.

The suspicion was turning into conviction.

Elbridge replied.

“My Lord. Just assign one guide to us.”

*

Baron Riverford assigned Sir Walter as the guide.

It was an action that clearly showed how terrified Baron Riverford was by Viscount Dickens’s matter.

However, using an old knight whose hair had turned white as a guide was a bit concerning.

“Sir Walter. Is it not too difficult for you?”

“I am a knight too. I’ve trained my whole life. Something like this is nothing.”

“I believe you used to ride a horse in the past.”

Walter laughed sheepishly.

“When our Baron is emptying his meager personal funds, how could I sit still? I also sold my remaining horse to contribute.”

“You seem to respect Baron Riverford very much.”

“Rather than respecting… I cherish him. Sometimes he even feels like a son. I’ve watched over him since he was very young, after all.”

“I will keep it a secret from the Baron.”

“No. The Baron knows as well.”

Walter gave an eye-smile full of fine wrinkles.

“Come to think of it, not long ago, the Baron said this. He didn’t know when we might be swept away by magic beasts, so let’s abandon the territory and leave for Solenion together.”

A metropolis like Solenion could manage to withstand most demon offenses.

But the Riverford Barony was different. Let alone a demon, if even a few powerful magic beasts appeared, it was obvious it would vanish entirely. The Riverford Barony was highly likely to face such an end.

Even so, Baron Riverford’s choice was not an easy one.

Because the things taken for granted are always the hardest to let go.

“But why are you still staying in the territory?”

“Because the residents opposed it.”

Baron Riverford appeared simple and indecisive, but at the same time, he was a quite extraordinary person in many ways.

The idea of leading all the residents and leaving was extraordinary, and the fact that he bent his own opinion when the residents opposed it was also extraordinary.

“Most people do not know the world outside the barony. People do not want to leave their land.”

“They will die if they stay.”

“When I said so, the Lord told me. Originally, ruin is slower than a step.”

It was a famous aphorism.

[Ruin is slower than an old man’s step. Yet fools close their eyes instead of avoiding ruin.]

Baron Riverford saw the ruin. He had also finished preparations to avoid it.

However, the residents chose the path of closing their eyes and turning away rather than leaving to avoid ruin.

Hence, instead of leaving alone, the Baron closed his eyes together by the side of his people.

Baron Riverford might not be an outstanding lord. But it was clear he was a magnificent lord.

“I will pray that the Riverford Barony can weather the storm.”

“May the Goddess of the Rusty Shield look down upon our land.”

Undoubtedly, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield would watch over Walter. It was just that the Goddess’s gaze could not overcome every obstacle.

*

Late at night on the following day. Walter pointed a finger at a spot in the darkness.

“Over there is Viscount Dickens’s territory. It has been a long time since I visited.”

In a city where people live, there are bound to be at least a few lights even late at night. The same goes for small villages.

But Viscount Dickens’s territory was different. As if something had been draped over it, not a single light was visible.

Along with the night wind, the sound of birds drifted over. It was an eerie night rather than a tranquil one.

Through the bird cries, the Goddess’s oracle descended.

– It feels like a ghost might appear.

“Goddess. Where in the world are there ghosts?”

– It is just a figure of speech, Elbridge. Your Goddess knows better than anyone that there are no ghosts in the world.

Elbridge became more worried about the fact that the Goddess of the Rusty Shield was still not asleep rather than non-existent ghosts.

If her day and night got reversed like this, it would be trouble. He might not be bestowed with the Goddess’s authority at a critical moment.

“Goddess. The night is deep, so how about going to bed now? Lately, your bedtime has been growing later and later.”

– You do not need to worry, Elbridge. Your Goddess can easily hold out for a day or two without sleeping.

“…”

– Since the situation has already turned out like this, it would be wiser to stay up all night and wake up early the next day.

Elbridge thought that plan would not be easily accomplished.

However, any further nagging could be irreverent, so he did not bother to offer a prayer again.

Flash—

The surroundings grew a bit brighter. Looking to the side, Walter was holding a lantern.

“As I get older, my night vision grows poor.”

No sooner had Walter lit the fire than someone shouted from a short distance away.

“Turn off the light! Right now!”

Instead of turning off the lantern, Walter held it high to check who the owner of the voice was.

A young woman was faintly visible.

“Turn it off!”

Because that shout was so desperate, Walter had to extinguish the lantern as soon as he had lit it.

Marcus shouted toward the person in the darkness.

“Who are you? I heard there was no one in Viscount Dickens’s territory!”

Thereupon, the person in the darkness replied.

“Are you guys here for the first time today?”

“Yes.”

“Consider your lives saved thanks to me. Ugh…”

The sound of someone moving was heard, and then the voice drew much closer.

“Don’t be on guard. There’s still plenty to salvage.”

“What do you mean, salvage?”

“Didn’t you guys come looking for Viscount Dickens’s territory?”

Marcus understood the situation and asked the nameless woman.

“Did you come to steal the goods left behind in Viscount Dickens’s territory?”

“What are you playing dumb for? There are dozens of guys like you around this barony, so there’s no need to act polite.”

It was a perfectly natural flow for thieves to gather in a city where people had vanished. Did it not mean there was easy money lying around?

However she interpreted the slightly delayed response, the woman in the darkness spoke.

“Don’t be on guard. Like I said, there’s heaps to salvage.”

The surprising part was that the looting had not wrapped up even now, a year after the people vanished. Normally, looting should have finished within a month or two after the rumors spread.

Before Elbridge could ask, Marcus questioned.

“Why did you tell us to turn off the light?”

“Right, you guys wouldn’t know. If you light a fire, a Ghost Knight appears.”

“A Ghost Knight?”

“That’s the reason we still haven’t cleared out Viscount Dickens’s territory completely. Ghost Knights are roaming the city. They react very sensitively to light in particular, so you have to be careful.”

“Hmm.”

“Since there’s a lot you guys need to know, drop the idea of moving separately and join our group. We’ve marked the looted and unlooted areas on a map…”

While the woman was talking like that, a faint sound of horseshoes drifted over.

Clop, clop, clop.

“Shit…!”

The woman in the darkness began to flee somewhere.

However, the party did not flee and looked toward the direction the sound was coming from.

Clop, clop, clop.

The small sound of hoofbeats gradually grew louder.

‘Is that it?’

A large shape was seen approaching.

However, because the pitch-black figure was moving in the dark night, it was not clearly visible.

Listening closely to the sound, Elbridge measured the distance between himself and the opponent.

‘Three. Two…’

Yet before counting one, Elbridge’s instinct sent a warning of danger faster than his reason.

If he rashly attacked first, he might expose a glaring vulnerability.

But in Elbridge’s experience, ignoring intuition at such moments was not a wise choice.

‘Now!’

Elbridge swung his sword. And,

Crack.

He felt the tip of the sword digging into something solid.