WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 117: Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (1)

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'So this is Hebron Fortress.'

Fifteen days had passed since Paladin Reto left Norens City under orders to escort a supply unit north.

Now, he had arrived at Hebron Fortress.

'This is where I'll be active from now on.'

Reto took a deep breath.

The air smelled of iron, blood, and something foul he couldn't identify.

Before him stood gray buildings and fortress walls, along with Knights whose faces were caked with exhaustion.

Still, Reto looked at them with nothing but admiration.

'If I survive long enough, I'll become one of them too.'

Being assigned to Hebron Fortress was an honor.

It proved that one's ability had been recognized by their church and that they were trusted to hold their own among renowned Knights.

It was also a chance to make a name for oneself. The death rate was high, of course... Still, a person only lived once. If Reto could leave his name in history, he was prepared to accept that much risk.

Leaving the workers unloading supplies in the open yard behind him, Reto headed deeper into Hebron Fortress.

He had long admired the fortress, yet he knew nothing about it. Where in this sprawling place was he supposed to stay? Where did people eat? Who would provide him with supplies from now on?

As Reto looked around, someone called out to him.

"Hey, you there."

The voice belonged to a man in his early forties with an unkempt beard. Judging by the cuirass he wore, he was undoubtedly a Paladin.

"Did you come from the Order of the Third Hand?"

Reto checked the engraved symbol on the Paladin's cuirass. It depicted the back of a hand resting on two open palms. He was clearly a Paladin of the Order of the Third Hand, just like Reto.

Reto straightened up and answered.

"Yes, sir. I'm Reto, a Paladin of the Order of the Third Hand."

"Good to meet you. I'm Jester."

Reto stiffened.

Jester was the most famous Paladin in the Order of the Third Hand.

'I couldn't believe it, but it's really Sir Jester.'

Even before leaving for the north, Jester had been a veteran who had taken part in five demon subjugation operations.

He had reportedly left for Hebron Fortress around two years ago, so the number of demon subjugations Jester had participated in must have easily surpassed ten by now.

Jester said, "It's been almost half a year since a junior from the Order came north. You look young... How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-five."

"Those are good years, Reto. Are you tired?"

Reto answered in a voice taut with nervous tension.

"Not at all. I feel energetic enough to head straight to the battlefield."

"Good. But there's no need for that. I'll tell you about life in the fortress, so leave your luggage in the barracks first. Put it down in any empty spot in Barracks Seven over there."

"Understood!"

It was natural for a senior Knight to help a junior.

Still, Reto was thrilled. Sir Jester himself, not some ordinary Knight, was going to show him around Hebron Fortress.

'I should brag about this when I return to the Order.'

Reto hurried toward the barracks. Sir Jester was waiting for him, so he couldn't exactly take his time.

Fortunately, near the barracks, Reto spotted a young man with an unusually youthful face.

Seventeen or eighteen, perhaps. Even if he gave him the benefit of the doubt, he couldn't have been older than twenty.

If someone that young was at Hebron Fortress, there were only two possibilities.

He was either a worker who handled the fortress's menial tasks or a Knight's squire.

Reto looked the young man over.

He wore casual clothes, but his back was straight, his shoulders squared, and his arms lean with solid muscle.

'A squire, then.'

Knights taught their squires and sometimes acted as their patrons.

In return, squires followed their Knights around and handled all sorts of errands. They were something like a Knight's personal attendant and apprentice.

Reto called out to the young man.

"Hey."

He didn't react.

Reto called again.

"Hey, you there."

Only then did the young man look at Reto with a blank expression.

Reto clicked his tongue inwardly. What kind of squire was that oblivious?

"Come here."

The young man obediently approached. Reto handed over his luggage and said, "Take this to Barracks Seven. Just leave it in any empty spot."

A squire was supposed to run errands only for the Knight they served.

That was the principle, at least. In reality, it was common for squires to run errands for other Knights too. Even if a squire later became a Knight, the existing Knights would still be their seniors.

Of course, it felt a little awkward to give an errand to someone he had just met. Still, that was better than making Sir Jester wait.

The young man made an odd expression, then took Reto's luggage and entered the barracks.

After handing off his luggage, Reto immediately returned to Sir Jester.

Jester's expression was grim.

"Reto. What did you just do?"

"Yes? Ah... I left my luggage with someone. I thought you might be waiting."

"I don't mind waiting a little. Go get your luggage back right now. Handle your own business yourself."

Instead of moving at once, Reto considered why Sir Jester had reacted like that.

It was common to give squires errands, so it couldn't possibly be a problem.

'And yet Sir Jester reacted like that, which means...'

Reto came up with his own answer.

"Does that squire serve an important Knight?"

"A squire?"

Jester's eyebrow twitched. Apparently, Reto's guess had missed the mark.

"What nonsense. El isn't a squire. He's a full-fledged Paladin."

So that young man's name was El.

Still, it was hard to accept. Someone that young couldn't possibly be a full Paladin.

'Is this some kind of joke to welcome a newcomer?'

Reto cautiously tested Jester.

"He was too young to be a Paladin. Aren't you mistaking him for someone else?"

"Reto. Do you think I'm blind? Go to the barracks. Now."

Judging from his reaction, it wasn't a joke.

Getting scolded by Sir Jester at their first meeting, Reto answered weakly.

"...I'll go."

As Reto turned back toward the barracks, he ran into El coming out.

If El had come back out that quickly, he surely hadn't even done the simple task of putting the luggage away.

Of course, Reto was in no position to point out El's behavior.

El hadn't been a squire in the first place. A Knight was supposed to respect other Knights, regardless of age.

Reto spoke warmly.

"I'm Reto, a Paladin of the Order of the Third Hand. You looked so young that I mistook you for a squire."

"..."

"You can treat me like an older brother. Let's get along from now on."

El answered with an indifferent expression.

"Getting along is one thing. I just hope we can keep seeing each other for a long time."

"..."

"Let's try not to run into each other on the battlefield."

El left after giving a remarkably unpleasant answer.

Reto returned to Jester and grumbled.

"That guy's kind of rude."

"Why? What did El say?"

"He said he hoped we could keep seeing each other for a long time, and that we should try not to meet on the battlefield. Things like that."

Reto thought Jester would be displeased by El's response.

Instead, Jester chuckled.

"His adolescence came a little late. He used to be cute and friendly, but his personality's been getting twisted lately. He's prickly with people he meets for the first time."

"...Lately?"

If El's personality had only become twisted lately, that meant it hadn't been before.

In other words, Jester had known El for quite some time.

"El was already in this fortress when I first came to Hebron Fortress. This should be his third year."

"How old is he?"

"Seventeen, or maybe eighteen."

Even if El was eighteen, and even if this was only his third year, that meant he had come to Hebron Fortress at sixteen.

It was absurd in every sense.

"What insane church sends a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old child to Hebron Fortress?"

"The Order of the Rusted Shield."

Reto was left speechless.

This was his first time meeting someone from the Order of the Rusted Shield, but he had heard its name before, along with the rumors about it.

It was the Order that possessed nearly twenty heavenly seats, yet never seemed to have more than ten Paladins. When its ranks were thin, people said its Paladins could be counted on one hand.

Reto sighed.

"At such a young age... And of all churches, it had to be that one..."

Jester grinned and slung an arm around Reto's shoulders.

"Reto, this isn't the time to worry about someone else. The one who came here half a year ago, and the one before them, both said the same thing you did. But they died before El did. That's why you're here."

"..."

"And when El said you should try not to meet on the battlefield, it wasn't a curse. You don't run into the Order of the Rusted Shield in a normal battle. Meeting them on the battlefield means things have gone badly."

Reto wanted to earn military achievements and make a name for himself.

That didn't mean he took his own life lightly. It would be much better to survive and become famous, after all.

"There are three Paladins from the Order of the Rusted Shield at Hebron Fortress. It's best if you only run into them inside the fortress. Still, you never know when you might need to ask them for help, so it'd be wise to stay on good terms with them."

* * *

Reto's life at Hebron Fortress was unexpectedly peaceful.

For three days, all he did was recover from the journey and get himself back into shape.

Then, around noon on the fourth day, Reto heard a blaring horn.

'What's going on?'

It was the first time he had heard that horn, but he could tell something had happened.

Knights scattered throughout the fortress were rushing toward the barracks.

Reto followed the others back.

Jester was already putting on his armor. Taking the hint, Reto began putting on his own and asked, "Sir Jester, has something happened?"

"It sounds like a troublesome demon has appeared. You may have to deploy too, so get ready."

Then came the sound of hoofbeats.

Clatter, clatter, clatter-

Reto tightened the leather straps of his armor and looked out the window.

Seven mounted Knights were racing out of the fortress.

"Those people are..."

"The Rapid Response Unit."

Horses were valuable animals. Warhorses, even more so.

Unlike ordinary packhorses that could live on grass alone, warhorses had to be fed grains such as oats and beans.

Food was hard to obtain at Hebron Fortress, which meant they couldn't maintain many warhorses.

The fact that the Rapid Response Unit could ride those precious warhorses alone proved their skill.

Reto murmured, "They look impressive. Does that mean they're the best fighters in the fortress?"

"Not quite. There's the Rapid Response Unit, and then there's a separate Immediate Response Unit."

"The Immediate Response Unit?"

Jester didn't explain what the Immediate Response Unit was.

Before long, though, Reto learned exactly what it was.

After finishing their preparations, Reto and Jester waited for orders near the fortress gate.

Not long after, the gates opened and mounted Knights appeared.

Jester muttered, "That's a relief. Looks like the Rapid Response Unit handled it."

Still, the number of people was a little strange.

Seven people had ridden out as the Rapid Response Unit, but nine had returned.

Two people who hadn't been there when the unit left had returned alongside them.

One was a green-eyed Paladin, and the other was a burly Paladin who looked like a bandit.

They must have been the Immediate Response Unit.

'...No, there's one more.'

At the front of the mounted Paladins, someone lay cradled in the lead rider's arms.

The person's body was so small that Reto initially thought it was a child.

But it wasn't a child. It was a corpse, its lower body brutally torn away.

The face was pale from massive blood loss, and the body swayed limply with the horse's movements without the slightest sign of motion.

At that point, wouldn't it be more accurate to call them half a person rather than one whole person?

Reto had seen plenty of gruesome corpses.

He knew many people died at Hebron Fortress.

Even so, he couldn't hide his dismay. He recognized that corpse's face.

"El... is dead."

Jester replied, "He's not dead."

"Can't you see what he looks like?"

"One of the divine powers granted by the Goddess of the Rusted Shield is Delayed Death. As long as the head, heart, and lungs are intact, the person can stay alive. I don't know whether both lungs have to be intact, or if one is enough."

Reto looked at El's condition again.

Both legs had been torn off and the bleeding was severe, but his upper body was in comparatively better shape.

"Still, it's rare for El to get hurt that badly... That was close."

"Can he be treated?"

"Of course. He'll be walking by tomorrow morning."

Among the Paladins who returned with the Rapid Response Unit, the green-eyed Paladin carried what remained of El toward the infirmary.

The burly Paladin disappeared in the same direction with them. The armor of all three bore the same symbol.

Reto stared blankly after them, then headed toward the infirmary as though entranced.

Footnotes:

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