WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 116: Silver-Gray Knight (4)

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If someone was certain their skill surpassed their opponent's, there was no reason to rush the fight.

But The Silver-Gray Knight was more adept at tactical exchanges than Elbridge, and their swordsmanship was among the most precise Elbridge had ever seen.

'...And they have four arms.'

Elbridge's defense could not be perfect. The longer the battle dragged on, the more injuries would pile up, and it was as clear as day that his chances of victory would diminish.

Taking a risk to look for an opening was inevitable.

'If this goes on, I'll definitely lose. I have to push deep in one go.'

Elbridge tensed both legs, lowered his stance as far as he could, and kicked off the ground.

Tap.

The most comfortable height for someone wielding a sword to attack was from the thighs to the shoulders.

Elbridge had lowered his stance to an extreme degree in hopes of making The Silver-Gray Knight's posture even slightly more awkward.

And there was a good chance it would work. The Silver-Gray Knight was more than half again as tall as Elbridge.

Still, it was a dangerous choice for Elbridge as well.

By lowering his stance, he would have to endure attacks coming down from above rather than head-on. He had no eyes on the back or top of his head, so he could not see and respond to The Silver-Gray Knight's attacks. The exchange from here on would rely entirely on instinct.

'I know this is insane.'

But Elbridge had prayed to the Goddess of the Rusted Shield to take away his fear.

So now, he had to fight like a man without fear.

Judgment, instinct, insight, and every movement of The Silver-Gray Knight he had observed while exchanging blows.

He had to use all of it to anticipate the demon's attacks.

'I can do this.'

With his posture and gaze lowered, the information Elbridge could gather was extremely limited.

So that he would not miss even that limited information, Elbridge fixed his eyes on The Silver-Gray Knight's feet.

Scrape.

The sabaton (Sabaton) covering The Silver-Gray Knight's feet twisted slightly, scraping against the ground.

No sword strike came from the upper body alone. Every strike by a Knight or Paladin was preceded by movements of the legs and feet.

From the slight movements of the sabaton and Greave (Greave), Elbridge pictured the attack The Silver-Gray Knight would make.

It was an imprecise guess.

No, it would have been fortunate if it could even be called a guess. Half of it might have been imagination.

Still, trusting his instincts and split-second judgment, Elbridge swung his shield wildly toward his head and back.

Clack.

'Got it.'

The shield he had swung without looking knocked away The Silver-Gray Knight's sword.

A tremendous thrill filled Elbridge's mind, the exhilaration of someone who had returned alive from death's doorstep.

But this could not be all.

Reason warned him. Luck would not work twice. He needed to straighten up, regain his balance, and prepare for the next attack.

He knew reason was right. Yet, contrary to its warning, Elbridge lowered his stance even further and took another step forward.

This was not a spar, nor was it a fight to neatly subdue an opponent without suffering injury. This was real combat, where victory belonged to whoever killed the other, even at the cost of grievous wounds.

Elbridge was prepared to suffer grievous wounds if it meant killing his opponent.

The Silver-Gray Knight's feet and knees moved again.

Elbridge realized another sword strike was coming.

But he did not defend against it. Instead, he drove his sword into The Silver-Gray Knight's knee, putting his entire body behind it.

Crunch.

Even The Silver-Gray Knight could not respond to such an extreme attack.

He felt the blade force its way through armor, then felt something inside the armor being pierced.

Right. There really was a body inside that armor.

Now it was Elbridge's turn to pay the price.

A blade came down from above, crushing his left shoulder blade and biting into the junction between his back and shoulder.

At least, at the moment the sword pierced him, he felt no pain. Only burning heat and the sensation of something foreign lodged inside him.

That was why Elbridge could keep moving.

Putting all his weight and speed into it, Elbridge rammed his right shoulder into The Silver-Gray Knight's uninjured knee.

He could clearly feel the blade lodged in his back tearing through his body.

Without question, it was the roughest charge he had ever made in his life.

Even a demon could not withstand a charge like that while standing on one leg.

The Silver-Gray Knight swayed, and their balance broke. The Silver-Gray Knight fell.

Elbridge forced himself upright and pulled his sword from The Silver-Gray Knight's knee.

Then he drove it through the gap in The Silver-Gray Knight's helmet. Something inside the helmet was pierced.

"...!"

At the same time, he realized it.

He had pierced their head, but it was not a decisive blow.

The Silver-Gray Knight was not human, but a demon. One of those demons whose vital point lay near the heart rather than in the head or neck.

Because The Silver-Gray Knight acted so much like a human, Elbridge had unconsciously assumed their head was their weak point.

'Damn it.'

The fallen Silver-Gray Knight slowly raised their upper body with the sword still lodged in their head.

Then they stood on the one leg that had not been pierced.

Delayed pain surged through Elbridge's back and shoulder. More important than the pain was the loss of function. He could not move his left arm or upper body as he wished.

What should he do? How could he create even one more opening?

Desperately turning the matter over in his mind, Elbridge stared into The Silver-Gray Knight's helmet.

Then his eyes met the demon's.

The Silver-Gray Knight burst into laughter.

A low, chilling laugh, like a growl or the sound of something scraping, continued for a long time.

Through that laughter, Elbridge sensed The Silver-Gray Knight's emotions.

They were not the emotions most demons carried, such as rage, hatred, or resentment.

What he sensed was joy and anticipation.

The demon pulled Elbridge's sword from their head.

Then they placed his sword on the ground.

Finally, The Silver-Gray Knight raised their four swords and gave Elbridge a simple salute.

The Silver-Gray Knight watched Elbridge for a moment, then limped away.

Elbridge, along with everyone at Hebron Fortress, watched their retreating back.

Before long, The Silver-Gray Knight disappeared from sight.

* * *

Two days passed.

The Silver-Gray Knight did not return. It was the same even when people went outside the fortress.

In this situation, Count Hebron was undoubtedly the one most relieved.

"I thought you'd lost your mind."

As the fortress's highest authority, Count Hebron had a duty to look after everyone staying there. He had also been the most anxious that the delivery of supplies might be delayed again.

But thanks to Elbridge driving away The Silver-Gray Knight, supplies could be delivered normally again. His greatest concern had been lifted.

"I never dreamed someone would go outside the fortress in that situation. What were you thinking?"

"...I just thought I had to."

Naturally, Count Hebron saw to Elbridge's every comfort.

He sent Paladins with Healing Authority to check Elbridge's condition and allowed Elbridge's group to stay in the lord's castle.

Since this was a fortress rather than a normal territory, its lord's castle was far smaller and plainer than an ordinary noble's residence.

Still, it was much better than an inn bed whose straw had not been changed for so long that it smelled musty. Sonia was especially pleased.

"I could understand you rushing out there. But I truly never expected you to fight and defeat a demon that had overwhelmed dozens of people."

Elbridge corrected Count Hebron.

"...I don't think I defeated it."

Murvach, who had been listening beside them, burst out laughing.

"If you drove a sword into its head, that counts as a win. You just didn't kill it!"

It was sophistry.

But Count Hebron, already in high spirits, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"When you first told me you belonged to the Order of the Rusted Shield, I thought the name sounded familiar. It was the Order that gained four heavenly seats all at once this year. I saw it at the beginning of the year, but quickly forgot."

Count Hebron looked pleased.

"I asked Mercenaries with wide connections, and they said you're the Order of the Rusted Shield's only Paladin. Apparently, you're famous in the east... In any case, it was remarkable. Can a Paladin who alone receives the divine power of four heavenly seats become that strong?"

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield's divine power had not been directly related to this battle.

But Elbridge had no intention of explaining that and displeasing the Goddess of the Rusted Shield. Her oracle had certainly helped him.

"Is it already this late? We'll continue this later."

The Count and Murvach chatted a little longer before leaving.

The Knights walking through the lord's castle stole glances at Elbridge.

It felt somewhat familiar. Paladins of the Order of the Rusted Shield had received this kind of treatment for two hundred years.

Only then did Elbridge let out a deep breath and throw himself onto the bed.

When he touched the area behind his left shoulder blade, his fingertips caught on a newly formed scar. Elbridge sank into thought.

'...The battles I've been through lately feel different from the ones before.'

Most of the missions Elbridge had taken on in the past had been about enduring or surviving.

But his recent missions had been about killing or subduing. The nature of battle had changed completely.

Thinking about it again, though, it was only natural.

There was one prerequisite for fighting a battle of endurance: the presence of forces stronger than oneself.

In the past, when the Order of the Rusted Shield bought time, Knights of outstanding ability would rush in and settle the battlefield.

But in this era, forces as strong as Elbridge or stronger were extremely rare. There was no one to finish a battle in his place, so Elbridge had to end it himself.

It was not a situation Elbridge welcomed.

'...Things won't get easier from now on either.'

Hoo.

As Elbridge let out a deep sigh, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield delivered an oracle.

- You seem to have many worries, Elbridge.

"I thought I would need greater strength in the future."

- Since you are on your way to Thornbush Forest, asking the guardians for advice would also be a good idea, Elbridge.

It was a plan Elbridge had already been considering.

How many beings in this world could teach Elbridge now? If he stayed in Thornbush Forest for a while and received instruction from a Sentinel, it would help him greatly for a long time to come.

'...If they'll teach me.'

Elbridge's thoughts quickly turned to the Goddess of the Rusted Shield.

"Goddess."

- Speak.

"On the day you first gave me an oracle, you said you would stake your divine throne as well."

- I did.

Two days ago, while fighting The Silver-Gray Knight, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield had delivered an oracle saying she would stake her divine throne.

And on the day more than two hundred years ago when eighteen-year-old Elbridge received his first oracle, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield gave Elbridge the exact same oracle.

"At the time, I thought your oracle was an empty promise."

- How irreverent, Elbridge. But looking back, it was quite a good decision. You are still with the Order, after all.

"Didn't you stake far too much compared to what you gained?"

- That is why there is still much you must do from now on, Elbridge.

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield laughed softly.

There was one difference between two days ago and more than two hundred years ago: whether she had put the oracle into action.

Two days ago, no situation arose in which she truly had to stake her divine throne.

But one day more than two hundred years ago, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield staked her divine throne.

Footnotes:

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