Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 95 - Goddess of Burning Curiosity

Chapter 95 – Goddess of Burning Curiosity

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Archbishop, I did not see you that way… You are a truly terrifying person.”

At Matilda’s joke, Elbridge wore an embarrassed expression.

“Sometimes I am.”

“This is something I realized while raising my children, but when you are very angry, it is good to take deep breaths. If you take just three slow, deep breaths, your mind will become much calmer.”

“I will engrave that in my heart.”

The reason Matilda gave Elbridge this advice was because of the rumors that had recently spread through Solenion.

The rumors claimed that a situation had arisen causing a misunderstanding between Elbridge and Corwin, and that Elbridge had killed Corwin somewhat hastily.

In the end, Elbridge had politely apologized, and the Order of the Bloody Spear had accepted Elbridge’s apology with great generosity—that was how the rumors concluded.

That was the result of the leadership of each combat order aligning their stories.

It was a rumor that differed from the facts in many ways.

However, Elbridge thought that having the story conclude in such a manner was for the best. A direction that allowed him to maintain their combat strength without falling out with the other combat orders.

‘This was the wisest response.’

Thanks to those rumors, Elbridge gained an unintended benefit. Public interest in Elbridge subsided quite a bit.

The logic was that the “Silent Paladin” was a legendary hero of old and thus must be flawless, and since Elbridge was not flawless, he could not be the Silent Paladin.

It was a logic with many flaws to pick at, but at first glance, it felt somewhat plausible.

However, unlike Elbridge, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield became somewhat depressed.

– Elbridge.

“Yes, Goddess. Please speak.”

– It hurts my heart because it seems our believers are decreasing lately.

The believers of the order had hoped that Elbridge, the focal point of the order, would be a flawless hero.

However, when rumors circulated that Elbridge had made a mistake and even apologized, a fair number of believers were disappointed and left the order.

On the other hand, there were those who were captivated by the rumor that Elbridge had cut Corwin down with a single stroke and joined the order. However, such people could not be more numerous than those who departed.

“An ancient sage once said that there is a time for the tide to rise and a time for it to fall. Since a great high tide has come in, it is natural that a low tide has briefly followed. I believe that a high tide will return before long.”

– Indeed. It shall surely be so.

The Goddess’s voice grew slightly more relaxed.

– The sun is setting now. Since your Goddess will rest for a while, follow your Goddess’s example and go to bed early. My loyal Archbishop Elbridge.

“I will do so.”

The oracle was cut off.

However, after finishing his prayer, Elbridge’s eyes were filled with an irreverent doubt.

‘This is suspicious.’

After the affairs in the Viscountcy of Dickens were settled, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield came to deliver oracles to Elbridge only during the day.

This was quite welcome news for Elbridge. After all, Elbridge had always wished for the Goddess of the Rusty Shield to go to bed early.

This was not merely a wish for the Goddess to live a healthy lifestyle.

If the Goddess of the Rusty Shield operated on a daily pattern different from the other gods, it meant Elbridge could not fight in step with the paladins of other combat orders.

Fortunately, Elbridge had not yet experienced any significant problems. However, there was someone who actually did. It was the order’s second believer, Sir Walter.

Not long ago, when accompanying Walter on the business in the Viscountcy of Dickens, Walter had spoken to Elbridge.

“Sir Elbridge. There is something I wish to ask.”

“Please speak.”

“I do not know well because I have not served many gods… but is there by any chance some rule to how a god bestows divine authority?”

“A rule?”

Walter answered hesitantly.

“Even though I am not a paladin, can I not receive a little bit of divine authority? However, there are times when the Goddess bestows authority and times when she does not, which makes me a bit confused.”

“…”

Regardless of how he interpreted Elbridge’s silence, Walter hurriedly waved his hands.

“Of course, I do not bear any complaints against the Goddess of the Rusty Shield. The Goddess’s authority is truly powerful. When the Goddess bestows her authority, I can block even the attack of a magic beast as large as a house with my shield. It is an authority capable of shifting the course of battle. It is just that not being certain whether she will bestow it weighs on my mind.”

Walter was one of the individuals whom the Goddess of the Rusty Shield kept an eye on. The only possibility that he did not receive divine authority was because she was sleeping in.

That was one of the reasons Elbridge had offered prayers to the Goddess of the Rusty Shield, pleading with her to normalize her daily pattern.

In fact, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield had also responded that she would normalize her routine.

As a result, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield stopped delivering oracles to Elbridge after sunset. Elbridge thought he had laid down all his worries.

However, not long after, Elbridge realized a strange fact.

‘Lately, the Goddess goes to bed early. Naturally, she does not listen to my prayers late at night. Yet she still does not deliver oracles in the morning.’

This suggested two possibilities.

First, the amount of time the Goddess of the Rusty Shield slept had become much longer than before.

Second, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield was pretending to go to bed early.

Since there was no way the Goddess of the Rusty Shield would lie to Elbridge, who was her archbishop and chief paladin, the first possibility must surely be correct.

However, Elbridge’s intuition was screaming not to ignore the second possibility.

“…”

If the demon host were to attack Solenion in the early morning, something irreversible might happen.

Just as he was about to clasp his hands together to immediately offer a prayer to the Goddess of the Rusty Shield, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

‘Even if I am her archbishop, wouldn’t it be irreverent to nag the Goddess multiple times about the same thing?’

His clasped fingers slowly unraveled.

‘What should I do?’

Fortunately, there was someone who could offer advice.

*

Early the next morning, as soon as Matilda arrived at work, Elbridge asked her.

“Priestess Matilda.”

“Yes? What is the matter?”

“How many children do you have in your household, Priestess?”

“I have two sons and one daughter. The three of them take turns causing trouble, so they take a lot of work. Though they are just as lovely.”

Elbridge lowered his voice.

“Trouble… Matilda. By any chance, has there been an instance where a child would not go to bed until very late?”

“Of course there has. It would be rare to find a parent who hasn’t experienced that.”

“By any chance, what would be some ways to make a child go to bed early?”

At Elbridge’s question, Matilda’s eyes sparkled.

“Sir Elbridge. Do you have a hidden child or something?”

“…It is nothing of the sort.”

“You can confide in me. My lips are sealed, more than they look.”

“It really is not. Someone I know is worried about that matter.”

“Hmm. Someone you know… It wouldn’t be Mr. Rombel, and Mr. Marcus is unmarried, so it wouldn’t be him either. Then who is it…?”

Elbridge maintained a calm expression.

Since Elbridge did not fall for her leading questions, Matilda had no choice but to move on to the next topic.

“Anyway, you are saying this person is worried because the child doesn’t sleep until late?”

“That is correct. Of course, it is not my child.”

“Ayy, who said it was? So, what did the person you know do? Did they try to force them to sleep?”

“Something like that.”

“It must have had no effect.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Matilda laughed.

“It is only natural. The child must have some reason for not sleeping until late at night, so nagging alone will never solve the problem.”

“Then, what should be done?”

“First, you must find out the reason. My eldest wouldn’t sleep because he wanted to go out and play with friends at night, and my third couldn’t sleep at night because she slept too much during the day. As for the eldest, I let him go out and play with his friends for a few days, and he slept well after that. For the third, the problem was solved when we cut down her naps.”

Reflecting on it, Elbridge had never thought about that aspect.

What was the reason the Goddess remained awake until late at night?

‘For what on earth could be the reason…?’

Suddenly, the fact that the gods of the other combat orders had plotted a conspiracy while excluding the Goddess of the Rusty Shield came to mind.

‘Could it be because of the struggles in heaven? Is the Goddess unable to seek sleep early because she is worrying?’

The god who was likely to grasp heavenly affairs best was, after all, the God of the Sunshower.

He was also a deity friendly toward Elbridge.

Elbridge was about to head immediately to the Mercenary Guild to find Marcus, but paused in his tracks.

It was because he realized there was a deity who observed the Goddess of the Rusty Shield from a much closer distance.

*

Elbridge arrived at the temple of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.

Just then, Viveca, who had finished her training, greeted him.

“Oh, Elbridge. What brings you here?”

Elbridge immediately asked Viveca.

“Is the Archbishop inside?”

“Yes. Why did you come to visit?”

“Because I have an important matter.”

Perhaps because Elbridge’s expression was so serious, Viveca did not pry further.

Elbridge spoke calmly in front of the Archbishop’s office.

“Archbishop. This is Elbridge, the chief paladin and archbishop of the Order of the Rusty Shield.”

A calm voice sounded from inside the door.

“Come in.”

Inside the Archbishop’s office was a woman with brown hair.

And he realized that the Archbishop of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss closely resembled Viveca to an astonishing degree.

‘…So Viveca’s mother was the Archbishop.’

The Archbishop spoke.

“I am Abina, the Archbishop of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss. Please sit over there, Sir Elbridge.”

“Thank you.”

“It is our first time meeting in person. What brings you here? Perhaps because of Viveca?”

When Elbridge shook his head, a subtle look of disappointment appeared on Abina’s face.

What on earth was she disappointed about?

“Archbishop Abina. There is something I wish to ask the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.”

“You are free to ask. However, I cannot guarantee she will deliver an oracle. The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss only delivers oracles about once a month, and only when there is an important matter…”

Once a month meant that oracles descended relatively frequently.

The Goddess of the Rusty Shield delivered oracles almost every day… but it was correct to view the Order of the Rusty Shield as an exceptional case.

“That is fine. Would you be able to offer a prayer to the Goddess just once?”

“That is not a difficult task. What do you wish to ask?”

“I wish to ask whether the Goddess of the Rusty Shield has been going to bed early lately.”

“…”

Abina stared at Elbridge with a strange expression. She seemed to find it difficult to gauge whether he was joking or not.

Elbridge felt his face grow hot. How did I end up spouting such things?

Elbridge said hesitantly,

“It may sound a bit strange, but it is extremely important to the Order of the Rusty Shield. As you know, the divine authority bestowed by a deity is only granted when the deity is awake. Lately, the need for divine authority has been growing…”

“I think it would be better if you offered the prayer directly… but I understand for now.”

Abina adjusted her clothes and prepared to pray.

However, Abina was unable to offer a prayer to the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss. It was because the oracle descended even before she could pray.

Abina opened her eyes wide in slight embarrassment.

“The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss has spoken. ‘The Goddess of the Rusty Shield goes to bed early, but the time she actually falls asleep is extremely late, which is worrying in many ways.'”

As expected, it had been a good idea to visit the Order of Spring Rain and Moss.

Elbridge lowered his voice as much as possible.

“O Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss. I wish to ask if, by some chance, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield has become embroiled in the struggles of heaven.”

“The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss has spoken. ‘The affairs of heaven cannot be recklessly conveyed to the earth. However, there is no need to worry.'”

It meant nothing special was happening. If so, why did the Goddess of the Rusty Shield not seek sleep on time?

Elbridge recalled Matilda’s words.

“O Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss. If so, what is the Goddess of the Rusty Shield worrying about that prevents her from easily seeking sleep?”

“The Goddess has spoken. ‘Worry and anxiety are not the only reasons one cannot easily fall asleep. Curiosity can also be a reason.'”

A baffling oracle had descended. Curiosity.

“I am foolish and do not understand.”

“The Goddess has spoken. ‘My faithful knight. Do you know that a heavenly deity can share the vision of their believers?'”

It was a well-known fact. Elbridge nodded.

“Yes, I do.”

Abina received the next oracle.

However, unlike before, Abina hesitated and could not easily convey the next words. Her embarrassment was clear.

“Archbishop Abina. What kind of oracle descended that you react this way?”

Archbishop Abina slightly turned her head to the side, avoiding Elbridge’s gaze as she delivered the oracle.

“The Goddess has spoken. ‘It would be good to have the young couples of the order blow out the candles at their bedside before going to bed.'”

Elbridge covered his face with both hands.

However, he could not hide his ears, which were burning bright red.

“…Thank you, Goddess.”

The oracle ended.

A heavy silence and an awkward air flowed through the Archbishop’s office of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss.

“…”

How much time passed like that?

Archbishop Abina spoke.

“I will keep today’s oracle a secret.”

With his face still covered, Elbridge merely nodded to substitute for an answer.

*

– I hope you have a good day today as well, Elbridge.

Four days later, in the morning, the Goddess’s daily pattern returned to normal.