Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 85 - Sonya

Chapter 85 – Sonya

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Elbridge’s sword slid smoothly, slipping into a gap in the sturdy armor.

But that was the end of it. There was no sensation of the blade catching on chainmail, nor any feeling of it piercing flesh.

Elbridge immediately realized the reason.

‘An ethereal entity.’

A being that transcended the physical realm.

Scholars and priests naturally loved to categorize and define things. Because of this, they classified non-physical beings by all sorts of criteria and bestowed countless names upon them.

But those who fought on the battlefield had no such hobby, so they lumped everything together and simply called them ethereal entities.

And all ethereal entities shared one common trait: they could not be subdued by mere physical force alone.

To inflict meaningful damage on an ethereal entity, one required a god’s divine authority, a mage’s enchantment, or a special weapon.

The conclusion was simple: Elbridge’s response had not been appropriate.

Paying no heed to Elbridge’s attack, the Ghost Knight rushed toward him without even slowing down.

Woooosh—

However, rather than the powerful charge of a mounted knight, the attack resembled a wave crashing over a rock or smoke enveloping an object, as the Ghost Knight’s form existed somewhere between solid and gas.

Elbridge sought to raise the shield on his left arm, for Leonhardt’s shield would surely protect him from the Ghost Knight’s assault.

However, his reaction was a moment too slow.

‘…It has been far too long since I last faced an ethereal entity.’

At this rate, he was bound to be caught in the Ghost Knight’s attack.

But Elbridge was not overly worried, for he had a seasoned companion.

Rombel swung his axe.

“Hup!”

Dwarves had better night vision than humans.

Thus, Rombel was able to grasp the Ghost Knight’s identity slightly faster than Elbridge, and he could also foresee the mishap about to befall him.

Yet, his strike was not intended to cleave the Ghost Knight. Using the flat of his axe like a fan, Rombel interposed it between Elbridge and the Ghost Knight.

Having been consecrated multiple times and bathed in the blood of countless demons and magic beasts, Rombel’s axe was perfectly suited for dealing with ethereal entities.

The Ghost Knight’s smoke-like form, which had been about to envelop Elbridge, was pushed back,

Crash!

The flat of the axe slammed into the Ghost Knight’s armor.

Not missing the brief opening, Elbridge thrust his sword forward once more.

Unlike a moment ago, Elbridge’s sword was now glowing faintly. Even before he could ask, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield had bestowed her divine authority upon him.

Screeech—

Elbridge’s sword scraped against the Ghost Knight’s armor as it dug deep inside.

He could feel, however faintly, the sensation of the blade’s tip catching on something.

Elbridge instinctively knew.

‘It worked.’

Woooom—

Leaving behind only a strange sound like a gust of wind, the Ghost Knight vanished into thin air as if drawn by something.

Because the pitch-black figure had moved in the dead of night, those with poor night vision could not even tell exactly what had just transpired.

Walter asked.

“What was that just now? What happened?”

Rombel replied, sheathing his axe on his back once more.

“An ethereal entity appeared, so we repelled it. We didn’t subdue it completely, though.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Ethereal entities had a way of triggering a person’s primal fears.

Not to mention Heinz, even Marcus, who had seen quite a few magic beasts, remained silent, perhaps out of tension.

However, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield boasted, sending down an oracle.

– Elbridge. There is indeed a reason why your Goddess kept her eyes wide open to watch over you until this late hour.

It was a classic case of catching a rat by stepping backward blindly.

But Elbridge was not foolish enough to point out such a detail.

“Although I have served you for a long time, Goddess, I am still startled by your wisdom time and again.”

– I feel the same, Elbridge. Where on earth does the limit of a Goddess like myself lie…

Elbridge still followed the Goddess of the Rusty Shield with all his heart, but lately he felt his respect for her fading ever so slightly. This was undoubtedly the aftermath of oracles and prayers being exchanged too frequently.

Offering a suitable response, Elbridge unfastened the vambrace on his right arm.

Then, he held his arm up to the faint moonlight.

‘No wonder it stung.’

The skin of his right arm was decaying into pitch-black necrosis.

This was the result of his right arm being enveloped by the ethereal entity when he first attacked it.

Yet, Elbridge was not deeply worried.

– Wait just a moment. I shall heal you right away…

With that oracle, the Goddess’s presence vanished. She had undoubtedly gone to wake the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.

As Elbridge was inspecting his stinging right arm, he sensed someone stealthily approaching.

It was the woman who had fled as soon as the Ghost Knight appeared.

“What? Did you just repel the Ghost Knight?”

“Something like that.”

“You must be quite skilled… Oh? You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

Perhaps having good night vision, the woman strode over and checked Elbridge’s forearm.

Then, after rummaging through her pockets, she pulled out a grimy bundle of cloth and offered it to Elbridge.

As Elbridge reflexively accepted the cloth, the woman drew a small dagger.

“What are you doing?”

“Bite the cloth, quick. I need to amputate it.”

“No need.”

“I’m warning you in advance, if you don’t cut it off in time, you’ll die. The black stain will spread throughout your entire body, and you’ll die a painful death…”

Even though there were several people around, the woman did not care.

It was hard to tell if she had some trick up her sleeve, or if her nerves were simply made of iron.

“Bite it quick. If you dally any longer, I’ll have to cut all the way up to the shoulder. Don’t worry about my skill.”

However, the bickering did not last long.

For a gentle light began to swirl around Elbridge’s arm, and his wound started to heal.

As the black stain covering his forearm faded away, the most astonished person was Heinz.

“Does the Goddess of the Rusty Shield possess the authority of healing as well?”

“Yes. She possesses a similar authority.”

“I have read several records regarding the Order of the Rusty Shield recently… but this is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing.”

“…It is a lesser-known authority.”

It was a lesser-known authority, and also one that should never be known.

Though the Goddess of the Rusty Shield herself did not seem to care much.

Before long, the stain on his arm completely vanished.

The woman, who had been watching with her mouth agape, marveled.

“Impressive. You might actually be of some help.”

Marcus snorted.

“Who is going to be of help to whom?”

“Me to you all. And you all to me.”

“Well. I don’t think you’ll be of any particular help.”

“No. I’ll definitely be of help.”

The woman smiled confidently.

Even under the dim moonlight, her white smile alone was vividly clear.

“I am Sonya Dickens.”

“Dickens?”

“Yes. Viscount Dickens is my father. Doesn’t that make you want to hear my story?”

*

Sonya led Elbridge’s party toward a field slightly away from the city.

There stood about a dozen cabins that looked reasonably sturdy.

The presence of several people could also be felt. Elbridge walked with his hand ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Sonya explained the origin of the cabins.

“Pioneers used to live here in the past. Those who lived here and reclaimed the surroundings were exempted from taxes. But now, it is a roost for crows.”

“Crows?”

“People who target the ownerless goods of the territory.”

Elbridge, Rombel, Marcus, Heinz, Walter, and Sonya.

As as many as six people moved together, people reacted here and there.

“Sonya! Who are those people?”

“Highly skilled newcomers. They drove away the Ghost Knight. Incredible, right?”

“Haha! Has lying already become second nature to you at that age?”

Sonya lightly responded to the people’s remarks.

And a moment later, Sonya’s steps halted in front of a certain cabin.

Sonya opened the door, and the six of them entered the cabin.

Then, after carefully covering the window, Sonya clapped her hands. Clap, clap.

Fwip—

With that, the candle on the table caught fire on its own.

“So you were a mage.”

“That’s right. You may call me Sonya, the beautiful mage.”

The poor-quality candle emitted a foul odor, and sparks flew occasionally. But thanks to that candle, the party and Sonya could confirm each other’s appearance.

Sonya was a woman who looked to be twenty or slightly older at most.

Her attire, to put it nicely, was modest, but to put it bluntly, it was grimy. Grease instead of luster flowed from her voluminous black hair. Although her features were large and distinct… due to her appearance, she did not look like the daughter of a viscount.

Marcus stroked his chin and asked.

“Are you really the young lady of a viscount’s house?”

“Of course I am. Don’t I look classy at a single glance?”

Seeing how she readily answered a potentially offensive question with a joke, she did not seem to have a difficult personality.

“For a noble lady, you talk with others far too informally.”

“The territory is in that state and I can’t even enter, so how unsightly would it be if I tried to be treated like a noble lady?”

“A wise young lady.”

Rombel laughed. Rombel preferred personalities like Sonya’s over those who put on airs.

“Indeed. Sonya, how did things turn out like this?”

Plucking a cocklebur fruit stuck to her clothes and flicking it into the corner of the cabin, Sonya replied.

“Even around this time last year, I was in Middlemarch. Do you know where Middlemarch is?”

Marcus answered boastfully.

“Of course I know. Middlemarch of the Central region. The place where all roads meet. I’ve even been there. I’ve even gone to the top of the Central Mage Tower.”

Sonya smirked.

“What a bluff… Anyway, I was studying abroad in Middlemarch. Naturally, my living expenses were supported by my family. But starting from last spring, the allowance stopped coming from home. At first, I endured while wondering what was going on, but even after waiting until summer, no living expenses arrived.”

“And then?”

Sonya shrugged her shoulders.

“I borrowed money from people I knew and ran.”

“…”

“Don’t look at me with those eyes. I’ll pay it back once I get some money.”

In the minds of the party, their evaluation of Sonya dropped slightly.

“I needed to have travel expenses to return, right? Anyway, when I came back to my hometown, the territory was in this state. It was clear at a glance that relying on my family in the future was out of the question, so I was trying to salvage whatever I could to find my own way to live, you see?”

If nothing else, it was certain that Sonya was no ordinary person.

If she were a typical noble lady—for instance, Aveline, the daughter of Marquis Solenion—she would never have been able to come up with such a realistic coping mechanism for a ruined territory.

“But because of those Ghost Knights, I couldn’t enter the territory. So I joined up with the people who came to raid it. I needed their help, and they needed my information.”

“…Those people gathered to pillage your territory, yet is it alright for you to cooperate with them?”

At Elbridge’s question, Sonya pouted her lips.

“I can’t even enter, so how is that my territory? Right now, it’s those Ghost Knights’ territory… Anyway, for now, I consider them good business partners.”

“So, what is your goal?”

“To sneak into the lord’s castle and sweep up all the valuables.”

Marcus asked.

“Are you sure you aren’t targeting something else?”

“I roughly know where the treasures of the lord’s castle are. Leaving the treasures aside, why would I target anything else?”

“Lately, the Central Mage Tower has been busy researching demons. Is it not that you, too, are interested in the demon of your territory?”

For the first time since the conversation began, Sonya lost her composure.

The sight of her mouth falling wide open and her pupils trembling rapidly was slightly amusing.

“…How did you know?”

“What do you mean how? I told you I’ve been to Middlemarch. Did you not believe me?”

“Then, even the part about climbing to the top of the Mage Tower?”

“The view looking down from above the clouds was magnificent. The Tower Lord even told me to drop by anytime.”

“That is going too far.”

When Sonya pointed that out firmly, Marcus showed a strange hand gesture.

He extended his thumb and pinky finger from his clenched fist, then brought the thumb to his mouth and the pinky to his forehead.

At that, Sonya marveled.

“To think it was the truth.”

However, the only ones who understood that gesture were Marcus and Sonya.

“Marcus. What was that just now?”

At Elbridge’s question, Marcus hesitated.

“Th-that… is a vow to speak only the truth.”

“Just that hand gesture?”

“Since swearing by the gods too frequently is a disrespectful act… you can think of it as an alternative made for such occasions.”

Elbridge and Rombel, and Heinz and Walter nodded, imitating Marcus’s hand shape.

With expressions as if they had learned something good today.

Marcus quickly brought the conversation back to the main point.

“Anyway, Sonya. Speak honestly. What is your goal?”

Since she had already reacted, there was no way she could deny it.

Sonya wore an extremely serious expression.

“I’m telling you in advance. The fact that the territory ended up in this wretched state has nothing to do with me.”

“I get it, so tell us.”

Sonya hesitated slightly before speaking.

“My father had a hobby of collecting orbs.”

“Orbs?”

“…There are strange orbs where a mysterious, smoke-like form shimmers inside.”

Elbridge and Rombel knew all too well what those orbs were. They were seals containing a demon’s nucleus.

Although there were various types of seals… mages preferred making seals in the shape of orbs. Something about the spherical shape being stable.

“I only found out what those orbs were after going to the Mage Tower, so don’t get any weird ideas…”

However, the others, except for Elbridge and Rombel, did not seem to have any inkling of what those orbs were.

Marcus asked.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up orbs?”

“That’s…”

Sonya could not answer easily.

But it was clear that answering that question would only make the next one even harder to answer.

Therefore, cutting off the conversation between the two, Elbridge brought up the most crucial question.

“Sonya. You said Viscount Dickens collected those orbs, right?”

“That’s right.”

Collecting was the act of gathering similar items.

In other words, if one possessed only a single item, it was not called a collection.

“How many of those orbs did your father have?”

Sonya replied sheepishly.

“Quite… a lot?”

Since waking from the seal, Elbridge counted the demons he had encountered so far.

The Black Giant. The Flower Demon that had been in the basement of the Central Mage Tower. The God of the Flowing Water.

‘Even leaving the God of the Flowing Water aside… I must assume the Great Demon has also been released from the seal.’

The Black Giant. The Flower Demon. And the Great Demon.

Elbridge asked.

“Sonya.”

“Yeah?”

“By your standards, is three a large number?”

“…No.”

That was a statement declaring that there was a bomb in the Dickens Viscounty. And a colossal one at that.

Elbridge and Rombel’s world went dark.