Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 94 - Clever Scheme
Chapter 94 – Clever Scheme
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Among Elbridge’s brief remarks, the part that struck everyone’s ears most vividly was the phrase “two hundred years.”
When Elbridge first appeared in Solenion, no one paid any attention to the scrawny drifter.
The leadership of each religious order was no different. They could not have imagined that someone sealed two hundred years ago would still be alive today. This was true even though they knew he had broken the seal of the Great Demon.
However, when Elbridge subdued five people by himself in the Grand Festival, the leadership of all the combat orders came to guess Elbridge’s true identity.
When he faced the black giant, and furthermore, when the Order of the Rusty Shield claimed four seats at once, their suspicion became a certainty.
In other words, the leadership of each order was inwardly convinced that Elbridge was the Silent Paladin.
But hearing the story directly from the person himself carried an entirely different weight.
With a faint clattering of metal, the postures of the chief paladins of each order straightened. It was just like the attitude they had shown before their senior knights when they first began their lives as squires.
Even the paladin with a broken leg struggled to rise and stood on a single leg.
Only then did Elbridge sit back down in his chair and cross his legs.
“I am sure you all know that I did not call you here to apologize.”
“…That is correct.”
“Why do you think I have gathered you all in this place?”
No one answered.
However, their thoughts were more or less the same. They wondered if he was going to demand something or threaten them using their weaknesses.
“I have one question to ask, and two demands to make.”
The people nodded slightly. As expected.
“First, I will ask. Who is the ringleader?”
“The ringleader?”
“I know there is someone who approached Corwin and enticed him.”
No answer returned.
A furrow formed between Elbridge’s brows.
“Are you going to keep your mouths shut?”
Then, the archbishop of the Order of the Staghorn answered.
“It is not that we are trying to hide it, but rather that we know nothing and thus cannot tell you. We only know that Corwin began to move after contacting an outsider… but that is all we know.”
“Nonsense. You all moved together with Corwin. You must have been assigned roles by that ringleader as well.”
The archbishop of the Order of the Staghorn shook his head.
“No, we were not. If I were to put it into words… Corwin was the link. The only thing the Order of the Staghorn did was search the records of each order at Corwin’s request and inform him of the location where the demon’s seal was kept. We have never met or spoken with the person you call the ringleader.”
“It sounds like you are trying to make excuses.”
“I am not trying to deny the sin we committed. We sympathized and sinned even while guessing what the situation was. Since the other orders, as well as the gods, accepted the flow, I too could not reject it. You may condemn us as cowards or sinners.”
Elbridge pressed his temples.
He had no intention of weighing the severity of their responsibility. The problem was that Corwin truly seemed to have been the only link.
Now that the link was gone, even if he interrogated those gathered in this room, there was no way to find out who the ringleader was.
‘Did I kill Corwin too hastily?’
Fortunately, however, the archbishop of the Order of the Staghorn was not finished speaking.
“But if you wish to find out who the ringleader is… there is a way.”
“Explain it to me.”
“I have heard that a similar plan is underway not only in the eastern part of the continent but in other regions as well.”
This meant that if the link in the east had been severed, they could still find the ringleader through a link in another region.
The clue that seemed to have been lost showed itself once more.
‘I have obtained the most important information, and all that is left now is the aftermath…’
The archbishops and chief paladins were still staring at Elbridge in tension.
Elbridge tapped the armrest of his chair and spoke.
“First of all, if you comply with my demands, I will not reveal what you have done to the public. Whether you claim that I apologized or clamor that there was a misunderstanding… I will not care about such things at all. That is likely what you desire.”
As Elbridge scratched the spot that itched the most, the people’s expressions brightened.
Of course, that was only the beginning of the conversation. Elbridge pointed his finger at them.
“Here is my first demand. The archbishops of each order must hand over their positions to their successors by the end of this year. To someone who is not entangled in this affair.”
It was a radical demand. However, from the perspective of the entire order, it was an acceptable one.
A non-combat order places their deity at the top, with the archbishop alone representing the order beneath the god. It was a unipolar system with the archbishop at the apex.
However, a combat order was a bipolar system where the authority of the chief paladin was no weaker than that of the archbishop.
Since it was a situation of replacing only one of the two representatives, the burden was correspondingly lighter.
Still, it was not a welcome proposal for the archbishops.
They had spent their entire lives dedicating themselves to the order to finally become archbishops, only to be told to step down by the end of the year.
When the archbishops hesitated to answer easily, Elbridge spoke.
“If you dislike that option, you also have the choice to die here. Of course, in that scenario, I will not keep your secrets.”
The archbishops bowed their heads deeply.
There had been no choice from the very beginning.
“…Understood. We will step down by the end of the year.”
Even so, the first demand was more moderate than expected.
The people gathered in this place had inwardly prepared themselves for a bloody clash. That was precisely the reason why the chief paladins of each order had gathered fully armed.
Now, the faces of the chief paladins grew serious.
Elbridge had said that there were two demands. Since he had made one demand of the archbishops, the remaining one was surely meant for them.
One of the chief paladins asked.
“What do you desire from us?”
Elbridge replied concisely.
“Fulfill your given duties.”
“If you mean duties…”
“Just as you have done until now, do not fear before the enemy and fight bravely. However, unlike before, do not collude with the impure. That is my demand.”
The paladins’ eyes widened.
It was common for those who committed crimes to have everything they had built up until now denied and belittled.
However, Elbridge had spoken clearly.
‘Just as you have done until now.’
That brief phrase lingered in the minds of the chief paladins.
Even though they had committed an utterly foolish act, and even though they knew they were the ones who brought about this situation, Elbridge did not deny the fact that they had fought bravely.
Elbridge continued speaking.
“I know that all of this occurred because of your foolishness. Just as you could not protest when I took Corwin’s head, I would not feel a single speck of guilt even if I were to take your heads.”
“…”
“However, the flow has already begun, and the world has changed. Look only forward. The things you can do, the things you must do, have been prepared. The role you so desperately desired has been given to you.”
For the past few days, Elbridge had thought.
Unlike the paladins of old, did the paladins of this era all possess evil natures?
Was that why wicked men became archbishops and chief paladins? Was that why they committed sins?
Elbridge did not think so.
Although they led their respective orders, they were, in essence, ordinary human beings.
They were simply terrified of a remaining life that would offer no reward, and felt despondent before the endless cycle.
Those who yielded to foolish temptations because they were foolish and desperate.
“The era you dreamed of has arrived. Run to the very end and achieve what you aimed for. Do not shrink from the most dangerous battles, but stand at the very front. Even if you must lay down your lives, seize honor.”
At a glance, it sounded like a sweet story.
However, the phrase “the most dangerous battles” weighed heavily on the minds of the chief paladins.
The most dangerous battles meant two things.
An important battle, or a battle taking the form of disposing of sinners.
If it was the former, that would be a relief… but the latter was nothing more than an honorable form of execution.
It might be better than a dishonorably executed sentence, but it was just as uncomfortable.
Elbridge smiled faintly.
“You seem worried.”
“No, we are not.”
“It is written all over your faces, yet you make excuses… Still, I will promise you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“I will not force you into any battle that I do not step into myself.”
The eyes of the chief paladins sparkled. If they fought alongside Elbridge, it would certainly not be a battle meant simply for their execution.
No, rather, this might even be an opportunity.
“As I said, I will not lay bare the sins you committed before the people. Your names will not be tarnished by your sins. However.”
Elbridge caught his breath and spoke with emphasis.
“Do not forget that whether you can leave your names in history depends entirely on your choice.”
These were the words of someone who had actually left his name in history.
The chief paladins clenched their teeth. It was because they felt something surging deep within their chests.
They had wished for roles to be assigned to them, and they had desired honor, which was why they could not reject the foolish proposal.
And far from punishing them, Elbridge gave them an opportunity. An opportunity to grasp the greatest honor, rather than the small piece of honor they had wished for.
Clattering metallic sounds could be heard here and there.
Before anyone knew it, the chief paladins of each order knelt on one knee.
“We will leave our names by your side, sir.”
*
The chief paladins and archbishops of each order departed, and the people who had gathered to watch the situation unfold disappeared along with them. Elbridge also went to bed early.
And in the darkness, there were those who watched the conversation between Elbridge and the leaders of each order.
Marcus and Rombel. The two had no intention of missing such a rare spectacle.
“…Unlike how he looks, he has quite a way with words.”
“Elbridge? He does not possess the talent to speak as smoothly as if his tongue were greased, but he does have the knack for dominating the atmosphere.”
Marcus listened quietly. He could feel a subtly excited atmosphere.
While the chief paladins likely said nothing, the archbishops probably made up reasonable excuses about what had transpired inside the temple. For instance, that Elbridge had apologized…
Marcus admired him inwardly.
‘It does not matter if you turn all the combat orders into enemies. Before long, they will all kneel before you and beg for help.’
When the God of the Sunshower had delivered the oracle last time, Elbridge had not turned any combat order into an enemy. Nor had anyone knelt before Elbridge.
No matter how divine an oracle is, not all of them can be fulfilled. That was what Marcus had thought.
Yet, the oracle delivered by the God of the Sunshower became reality. Had the combat orders not truly knelt before Elbridge?
‘From now on, I must not argue with oracles.’
Marcus thought so and said,
“By the way, Sir Elbridge’s response was milder than expected. It felt a bit soft, even.”
“Soft?”
“Is it not?”
“Absolutely not. He replaced every single archbishop, and killed all the chief paladins.”
“…Killed them?”
“Elbridge won over the chief paladins to create a death squad loyal to himself. Although he probably does not think of it that way in his own mind…”
Rombel laughed.
“Those deployed on missions alongside the Order of the Rusty Shield were usually those who had committed grave crimes. Running away before the enemy, attacking an ally… If they performed a mission or two with the Order of the Rusty Shield and survived, they were pardoned.”
Marcus’s expression became sour.
“…Excuse me. Didn’t you say you also fought alongside Sir Elbridge in the past, Mr. Rombel?”
“What do you take me for? Of course, Elbridge came to reinforce my battles, so we fought together a few times. But I have never gone to reinforce Elbridge’s battles. I am good-natured, after all.”
“Then, will the chief paladins really all die?”
“Undoubtedly. Even if he did not intend it, Elbridge must know that the situation will unfold that way. He did not make such a proposal because he forgave them.”
Marcus thought quietly.
The chief paladins fighting fiercely alongside Elbridge, and the chief paladins dying one by one.
Which order would the believers who witnessed those battles turn to?
…Though one could not know for sure, the chances were high that the Order of the Rusty Shield would gain more seats next year.
The only problem was that, if he made a single slip, Marcus himself might end up mixed among those chief paladins.
‘If possible, I should avoid joining battles where the chief paladins are deployed.’
At that moment, an oracle reached Marcus’s ears.
– Do not try to be clever.
Marcus became a bit depressed.