Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 97 - Deep Sleep

Chapter 97 – Deep Sleep

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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On the day he met the leadership of each combat order last time, Elbridge obtained valuable information.

That there were others who played a similar role to Corwin in other regions of the continent.

‘If I leave the east, I might be able to contact the ringleader.’

However, Elbridge could not easily bring himself to leave Solenion.

This was because he was worried that the demons released in the Viscountcy of Dickens might appear in Solenion.

However, currently, more than a month had passed since the incident in the Viscountcy of Dickens.

If there were any demons approaching Solenion, they should have appeared by now.

Yet, let alone demons, not even a violet cloud—the most representative precursor of a demon’s appearance—was in sight.

‘It is about time to move.’

Elbridge’s thoughts proceeded in a slightly more concrete direction.

If he left Solenion, in which direction should he go?

‘First of all, not the south.’

‘Since the south was a region where demons rarely appeared since ancient times, the probability that the fellow who recruited Corwin had laid a hand in the south was low.’

‘The central, northern, and western regions.’

Elbridge immediately ruled out the west.

‘The west is too far.’

Elbridge’s heart leaned toward the north.

Since ancient times, there had been many powerful combat orders in the north, and many demon appearances as well. Just as many demons would be sealed in the north.

‘I will go north.’

Around the time Elbridge made up his mind, Matilda, who had arrived at work, greeted him.

“Good morning, Archbishop. Did you sleep well last night?”

“I slept well. How about you, Matilda?”

“I slept refreshingly for the first time in a while.”

Matilda was always an energetic person. However, even she would sometimes show a slightly dazed appearance in the morning.

Yet today, Matilda’s eyes were exceptionally clear. It seemed that sleeping refreshingly was not just empty words.

“You wouldn’t know because you are single, Archbishop, but parents with children in their prime like me find it hard to sleep deeply. Just when you think you are falling asleep, you wake up at the sound of the children moving, and when you want to sleep a little more, the sound of the children whispering chases away all sleepiness… Ugh.”

After pouring out a vivid story about the difficulties and rewards of parenting, Matilda began her work as usual.

How much time passed after that? Rombel appeared in the temple.

“Take it.”

Rombel tossed the sword to Elbridge. It was the sword Elbridge had entrusted to him a few days ago.

One who wields a sword constantly maintains his own blade.

However, the condition of a sword cannot be kept at its best through simple maintenance alone. Occasionally, it must be entrusted to a skilled blacksmith.

Elbridge drew the sword from its scabbard and inspected its condition.

The blade, which had been slightly chipped here and there, had become almost brand new. Exactly as Elbridge had wanted.

However, there was one unexpected thing. The time Rombel appeared.

“It is not even lunchtime yet, what brings you here so early?”

“My physical condition was good today.”

Even rarer than Matilda, whose eyes were clear from the morning, was Rombel, who moved actively before even having lunch.

Rombel had a habit of saying that as one grows older, sleep decreases.

However, whether old or young, if one is human, a certain amount of sleep is absolutely necessary.

Usually, Rombel woke up early, but it was not because he woke up after sleeping as much as he needed.

As such, Rombel would often spend his mornings in a slightly dazed state, dozing off. It was rare for Rombel to move at such an early hour as today.

“Did you finish the work yesterday?”

“I had most of it done yesterday, and finished it up this morning.”

“What brought this on?”

“Rather than dragging it out for nothing, it is better to get it done quickly.”

Elbridge spoke as he sheathed the sword.

“You seem to be in good condition today as well.”

“I slept deeply for the first time in a while. Perhaps it is because I went to bed early without drinking last night.”

Rombel took a gold coin as payment for maintaining the sword and returned.

Nothing special happened after that either.

Elbridge trained alone, meditated for a moment, and spoke a bit with the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.

The paladins of the Order of the Bloody Spear glared at Elbridge once in a while for no reason, and Elbridge ignored their gazes.

He notified Marcus that they would depart for the north in about two days, so he should finish preparing. Marcus let out a deep sigh and nodded.

It was an ordinary day.

However, on the following day, a few quick-witted people detected an anomaly.

*

On the following day, Matilda arrived at work a bit later than usual.

“I am sorry, Archbishop. The bakeries near my house did not open on time. I was late because I had to wait until the bread came out.”

“It is fine. The Goddess also would not have wished for Priestess Matilda to starve her children just to arrive at work early.”

The summer sun is scorching. Rather than working while suffering from the heat, people naturally choose the path of waking up a bit earlier to move.

There are people who must wake up even earlier than those who move early. Namely, the bakers.

So that those who head to work from dawn can eat breakfast, bakers must wake up even earlier to bake bread.

However, bakers are also human, so they occasionally oversleep.

If coincidences overlap, two bakeries might open late at the same time.

Not long after that, Rombel visited the temple together with Marcus. A large loaf of bread was held in Marcus’s hand.

Rombel spoke with a serious expression.

“Elbridge. The situation is strange.”

“Why?”

“Today, three bakeries near the Mage Tower opened late. This guy Marcus also said the bakery next to his inn opened late.”

When Rombel nudged Marcus, Marcus spoke.

“Thanks to that, I only had soup this morning. I barely managed to buy this bread on the way.”

Elbridge glanced at Matilda.

“What a coincidence. Matilda also said the bakery near her house opened late today.”

“Do you know what, Elbridge? I slept just as deeply today as I did yesterday.”

“Me too.”

Just as Rombel could not sleep deeply, Elbridge also tended not to sleep well. It was because every time he fell asleep, he had nightmares of being sealed again.

Rombel spoke.

“You slept well, and I slept well.”

Elbridge followed up on those words.

“Matilda said she slept well too.”

“Yes. And all the bakery owners overslept as well. Though we cannot know for sure, they must have slept deeply.”

Elbridge spoke to Marcus.

“…Mr. Marcus. Please gather the chief paladins of each order immediately.”

*

A little past lunchtime, the chief paladins of each combat order gathered.

The chief paladins of each order took their postures and stood before Elbridge.

Sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, Elbridge spoke to the chief paladins of each order.

“You all know that the situation has been unfolding in a somewhat unusual manner since yesterday, right?”

However, the majority of the chief paladins did not understand what Elbridge was referring to.

“What kind of situation are you referring to?”

“Have you heard the news that the bakeries opened late this morning?”

A few people nodded. However, there were also several who wore puzzled expressions.

“I am hearing it for the first time.”

Those who find it troublesome to go to and from bakeries early in the morning sometimes eat bread bought the day before. That paladin was likely one of them.

“It does not matter if you did not know. Let’s move on to the next topic. Yesterday and today. You all slept more deeply than usual, did you not?”

This time, everyone nodded.

“The fact that the bread was prepared late today is likely due to a similar reason. The bakery owners failed to wake up on time.”

Marcus spoke sourly.

“Sir Elbridge. Did you seriously ask me to gather everyone just because of oversleeping?”

Elbridge nodded.

“I view this as the result of a demon’s intervention. Rombel shares my opinion.”

Rowena, the chief paladin of the Order of the Laurel Wreath, raised her hand.

“Speak, Rowena.”

“Are you saying that a demon associated with sleep has appeared?”

“That is correct.”

“However, if it is a demon that simply makes people sleep deeply and refreshingly, it does not seem like it would be a particular problem. Breakfast will be delayed a bit… but that also wouldn’t be a major issue.”

Elbridge replied.

“Not all demons in the world are equally dangerous. Just as there are exceptionally dangerous demons, there are also demons that are less hazardous. However, just because the phenomenon caused by a demon feels trivial right now, it does not mean it is a less dangerous demon. There are all kinds of demons in the world. For example… yes.”

Elbridge said while looking at Rombel,

“Long ago, there was a demon called the Master of the Index Finger. You remember it, Rombel.”

Rombel nodded and added an explanation.

“How could I forget? It possessed the authority to control a person’s index fingers at its own will within its domain.”

Index fingers? The paladins snickered.

However, Rombel’s face was frozen stiff.

“You chuckle because you do not know how terrible the deeds a person’s index fingers can perform. Even more so when combined with a demon’s authority… The Master of the Index Finger was one of the demons that brought about the greatest damage at the time. Two large cities vanished, and at least a hundred paladins died.”

Elbridge explained further.

“In the end, paladins who cut off and burned their own index fingers defeated it. In my memory, it seems a significant number of the paladins who fought the Master of the Index Finger refused treatment for their hands and lived without their index fingers.”

“Because it was a painful memory… Come to think of it, the Reverse-Born was also one of those demons. A demon that restores youth that has slipped away. You remember it?”

Elbridge nodded.

“I only heard of it. It was not a demon I could face.”

“Is it not a good thing if it restores youth?”

To Rowena’s opinion, Rombel replied,

“The problem was that there was no limit to the rejuvenation. Rather than just becoming young, they grew even younger, became newborn babies, and then their very existence vanished. Furthermore, the speed of rejuvenation grew faster and faster. In the end, a middle-aged paladin would dissolve in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. If the elderly elves had not arrived on time, everyone might have died.”

“I heard the damage grew larger because people who wished to exploit the demon failed to report its appearance in time.”

Elbridge said so as he looked at the paladins.

“There is only one thing I wish to say. Even if it looks like a trivial demon right now, as time passes, it can bring about unexpected consequences. It is much easier to face a straightforward fellow like the black giant.”

Fortunately, a significant number of demons possessed straightforward abilities like the black giant.

However, conversely, it also meant that this current demon, possessing authority related to sleep, was a dangerous entity.

Rowena asked.

“What is it that we must do?”

“Search.”

Humans naturally begin full-scale judgment only after they see and recognize with their own eyes.

The reason the people failed to grasp the situation in time, and furthermore, the reason the paladins did not maintain vigilance despite the precarious situation, was because they had not confirmed the demon with their own eyes.

Furthermore, they had to locate the demon to subdue and seal it.

“A demon’s authority manifests with the demon at its center. Search locations where the demon is likely to be hiding. It would be best to move quietly so as not to agitate the residents. Until the demon is sealed, we will share our progress in this place every day. That is all.”

“Understood.”

Rowena showed courtesy by striking her cuirass twice with her fist, in the manner of the Order of the Laurel Wreath.

The other paladins also showed courtesy in the manner of their respective orders and departed.

*

Three days passed since then.

The demon was still not found.