Paladin of a Ruined Order - Chapter 113

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

Chapter 113: Silver-Gray Knight (1)

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After the impressive but brief commotion died down, Elbridge's group blended in with the mercenaries and returned to the inn.

Murmur, murmur.

With the recent incident giving them something to talk about, the mercenaries gathered noisily in the inn's central hall instead of returning to their rooms.

They had formed groups of anywhere from three or four to more than ten people, apparently gathered by mercenary company.

Like the other mercenary companies, Elbridge's group sat around a table.

They couldn't easily start talking, though. The neighboring table was too close, making them all a little self-conscious.

"..."

They glanced over as they tried to begin, then looked again whenever they tried to say something else.

Elbridge's group and the mercenaries at the next table, each subtly mindful of the other, reached an unspoken agreement to introduce themselves first.

The man at the neighboring table spoke first.

"I'm Murvach of the Murvach Mercenary Company."

Murvach had thick black hair on the backs of his hands and forearms, along with unusually bushy eyebrows. He looked to be around fifty. Judging by his unusual name, he was most likely from the west.

What stood out even more, though, were Murvach's eyes. Unlike most mercenaries, whose eyes were yellowed or cloudy, his were as clear as a child's.

Marcus imitated Murvach's manner and replied playfully.

"I'm Marcus of the Marcus Mercenary Company."

When Marcus shook Murvach's hand, Sonia began to complain.

"Why are we the Marcus Mercenary Company?"

"Well... I'm the only one here with experience in this line of work, aren't I?"

"Even so!"

"Fine. Then we'll be the Sonia Mercenary Company or the Dickens Mercenary Company. Which do you prefer?"

Once the choice was actually in front of her, stepping forward wasn't so easy.

Besides, Sonia didn't want her name or family to become famous among mercenaries.

"...Let's just be the Marcus Mercenary Company."

Murvach and his subordinates chuckled.

They had known from the beginning that Marcus was joking.

"It doesn't matter if you aren't mercenaries. I only meant that we should introduce ourselves. You arrived at Hebron Fortress yesterday, didn't you?"

"That's right."

"If you have any questions while you're staying at Hebron Fortress, feel free to ask. We've been here since late spring this year."

"Late spring... You've been here quite a while. What brought you all the way from the west to Hebron Fortress?"

Murvach looked at Marcus with clear eyes.

"The sweetest fruit grows on the steepest cliffs. If I want my name remembered as this generation's Mercenary King, there's no better place than Hebron Fortress."

"I'm rooting for you. That way, I can brag later that I know the Mercenary King."

"Haha!"

After the casual introductions, Murvach naturally continued the conversation.

"Is this your first time seeing a demon?"

"Not our first. We've encountered them before."

"I thought so. You've all looked calm from the start. Still, it's fortunate that the demon you met as soon as you arrived at the fortress was a quiet one."

"Quiet? That thing drove a sword into the gate."

Rombel, not Murvach, answered Marcus's question.

"It went back when the gate closed, didn't it? Where else would you find such a well-behaved demon?"

Murvach agreed.

"That's true. I've seen demons four times while staying at Hebron Fortress, and this was the fifth. This is the first one that turned back because the gate was closed."

"What were the other demons like?"

"They didn't creep up like that. The first demon I saw... an ominous cloud lingered over Hebron Fortress, then it suddenly appeared inside the fortress. The next demon broke through the closed gate and entered the fortress."

A fortress was built for defense.

But demons had no reason to consider human circumstances. Nor were they bound by human common sense.

If breaking through a fortress was difficult, they could simply appear inside it. Plenty of demons could ignore a fortress and pass right through.

Even so, there were two reasons people stayed inside Hebron Fortress.

First, while its walls could not stop demons, they could keep out a considerable number of demonic beasts.

Second, demons often appeared where people gathered.

The people of Hebron Fortress did not live there to hide from demons.

They stayed within the fortress to lure demons in.

"Anyway, this demon is unusual. It's small for a demon, and it resembles a human. It's almost like it's imitating one."

Murvach and the other mercenaries continued discussing the silver-gray demon with four arms.

Rather than shrinking back in the face of a worrying situation, mercenaries talked it over and sought a solution.

Elbridge, however, was thinking along different lines from the other mercenaries.

He knew demons had once been gods, and gods had once been people.

Then what kind of person had that demon been in the past?

'Probably a Knight.'

Someone who had been a Knight, then became a god.

One person came to mind: Leonhardt.

Yet Elbridge was certain.

'It isn't Sir Leonhardt.'

If the demon had anything in common with Leonhardt, Elbridge would have recognized it.

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield would have found some way to tell him, too.

* * *

The Silver-Gray Knight differed from ordinary demons in many ways.

It did not lead demonic beasts around like other demons, nor did it vanish off somewhere. It simply sat far from the wall, passing the time.

Murvach seemed to know people everywhere. Whenever he disappeared and returned, he brought Elbridge's group news of the situation.

"Marcus. Things are taking a strange turn."

"In what way?"

"People can't even agree on whether we should deal with that thing or leave it alone."

"...Leave a demon alone?"

"Other than driving its sword into the gate, it hasn't done anything threatening all day. A lot of people think we should watch the situation a little longer."

As the mood grew indecisive, the three elves became anxious.

They wanted to return to Thornbush Forest as soon as possible, but with the Silver-Gray Knight blocking the north side of Hebron Fortress, they couldn't leave.

Then, the following morning, a mercenary rushed into the inn and shouted.

"The knights are going to fight that thing with four armpits!"

At the shout, the mercenaries in the inn poured outside and rushed toward the wall.

Many Knights and Paladins were already there, along with Count Hebron, lord of Hebron Fortress.

The mercenaries weren't afraid of a noble, though, and good-naturedly pushed their way into the cramped space.

"Make a little room, will you? We want to watch too."

Thanks to them making space, Elbridge's group managed to find spots on the wall as well.

They craned their necks and looked down.

Eight people had come out to subdue the Silver-Gray Knight. All wore shining armor.

As they slowly approached, the Silver-Gray Knight finally rose from its seat.

"It's moving!"

The Silver-Gray Knight did not bother hiding its arms as it had before.

Holding four swords in its four hands, it silently watched its opponents.

"Bark! Bark!"

At the scent of humans, several demonic beasts appeared.

As the four-legged demonic beasts ignored the Silver-Gray Knight and tried to rush the Knights...

Swish.

The Silver-Gray Knight's four arms moved slightly.

In the very next moment, the bodies of the demonic beasts passing it were sliced apart. Neatly cut cubes of flesh rolled across the ground.

"The demon killed demonic beasts?"

It was only natural to be startled. Demonic beasts were a demon's servants and limbs. It was extremely rare for a demon to kill them.

But something else put Elbridge and Rombel on edge.

'Clean.'

The Silver-Gray Knight's sword strikes were so fast and precise that even Elbridge and Rombel found them difficult to follow with their eyes.

It was common knowledge that humanoid demons were relatively easier to fight, but that silver-gray demon did not seem like it would be.

Then the Silver-Gray Knight charged at the eight challengers.

"Form up!"

The Knights responded exactly as they should have.

They raised their shields and extended their Long Spears, forming up to stop the enemy's charge.

Once the demon came close, they would throw aside the unwieldy Long Spears, draw their swords, and continue fighting.

But the Silver-Gray Knight did not slow down.

Swoooosh.

Moving like a ghost, the Silver-Gray Knight slipped through the densely packed spearpoints.

Then came a dizzying flash of blades.

And the carnage that followed.

Eight Knights lost their lives in a single clash.

"..."

The spectators on the wall were speechless.

That was closer to a human style of combat than a demon's.

Yet the Silver-Gray Knight was stronger than most demons. Even Elbridge felt at a loss.

He considered what would have happened if he had stood before the Silver-Gray Knight.

'I wouldn't die in one blow.'

But that was all. He might not die in one blow, but he couldn't picture himself winning.

Even fighting alongside Rombel probably wouldn't change the outcome much.

It was difficult enough to contend with even one sword, yet the demon wielded four at once with skill. It would be as difficult as facing four exceptional Knights at the same time.

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield quietly delivered an oracle.

- Elbridge. You seem quite worried.

"I'm a little surprised. Demons that use swords are rare, and demons that use them with such precision are even rarer."

- It is certainly quite powerful. But compared to your goddess in her prime, it clearly falls short. Your goddess was once a Paladin without equal...

It wasn't a particularly convincing oracle.

When they had met Niserath in the past, hadn't Niserath described the Goddess of the Rusted Shield as "not the strongest, but the most beloved Paladin"?

Still, if he repeated those words directly, there was a very high chance the Goddess of the Rusted Shield would sulk. Elbridge had to swallow the words that had almost reached his lips.

"...It's only regrettable that I don't measure up to your skill, Goddess."

- Do not regret it. You are still young, and your potential is limitless...

At that moment, Count Hebron let out a quiet sigh and gave an order.

"For the time being, do not approach the demon recklessly. Observe the situation a little longer."

* * *

The next day, the Silver-Gray Knight remained north of the wall.

Just as humans guarded the fortress to stop demons from moving south, the Silver-Gray Knight seemed to be staying there to stop humans from moving north.

The people inside the fortress busily talked about the Silver-Gray Knight.

"I feel bad for the dead Knights, but things have actually improved."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw that four-armpit thing kill demonic beasts yesterday, right? It seems to be on bad terms with demonic beasts and other demons. That thing will protect our fortress from demons."

"Can you be sure it'll keep doing that? We need to go kill it as soon as possible."

"Count Hebron doesn't even intend to move. Who's going to kill it?"

"Someone will. A Knight or a Mercenary!"

Opinions split into two groups.

Those who thought they could leave it alone for now, and those who believed anything unsettling should be eliminated as quickly as possible.

Naturally, the side that wanted to wait had the upper hand.

That was the opinion of Count Hebron, the fortress's ultimate authority.

In the middle of it all, only the three elves, Selene, Johannes, and Aurelius, were growing desperate. Their way home was blocked.

"No matter how I think about it, something must be happening in Thornbush Forest. That demon seems to be stopping humans from approaching Thornbush Forest..."

Elbridge's thoughts were tangled as well.

'Should I stay in the fortress and follow Count Hebron's orders? Could something serious really be happening in Thornbush Forest, as the elves fear?'

But he wasn't confident he could break through the Silver-Gray Knight.

Even if they won after great difficulty, there would be considerable casualties. That was closer to certainty than speculation.

Yet it took less than a day for the situation to change again.

That evening, someone shouted loudly.

"The south! That demon bastard has moved to the south side of the fortress!"

People rushed up to the southern wall and looked down.

The Silver-Gray Knight stood motionless amid a vast pool of blood.

Corpses lay around the demon, along with shattered wagons and all kinds of scattered belongings.

Someone watching the scene muttered.

"The supplies..."