WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 119: Elbridge, Seventeen Years Old (3)

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Being prepared to leave with nothing but a sword didn't mean he actually had to leave with nothing but a sword. Especially when he had a calm, rational companion.

Late at night, Reto and Elbridge left the fortress with light gear and a little dried food.

A fortress built to fight humans needed strict security. A fortress built to fight demons and demonic beasts, on the other hand, could afford to be relatively lax. Very few demons or demonic beasts possessed anything resembling tactical awareness.

Thanks to that, Elbridge and Reto had little trouble sneaking out of Hebron Fortress.

The night wind that greeted them was cool, almost cold. As though they had planned it, Reto and Elbridge both pulled their cloaks tight against the wind.

Then Elbridge looked up at the sky.

"Wow, wow..."

The night sky was packed with stars, and mountain birds called through the quiet air. Nothing about it was different from usual, yet Elbridge was so excited he didn't know what to do with himself.

If they had been farther from the fortress, he might have shouted.

'He really is just a kid when you look at him like this...'

Unlike Elbridge, who practically bounced as he walked, Reto, the older of the two, was deep in thought.

Truthfully, Reto still wasn't sure about what he had done.

'I should've at least explained the situation to Sir Jester before leaving.'

But he couldn't exactly return to the fortress now. He was afraid people would mistake him for a deserter.

...No, when he thought about it, he had deserted. He hadn't left because he was afraid of battle or because he valued his life too much. He had simply been swept along by Elbridge.

Elbridge looked straight ahead, while Reto kept glancing back. He was afraid the knights of Hebron Fortress would appear and drag him away.

Could anyone condemn Elbridge for leaving the fortress?

Reto didn't think so.

But if someone asked whether people would be equally forgiving toward him... that was another matter. Elbridge might somehow be forgiven, but Reto doubted they would overlook his actions as well. Unlike Elbridge, Reto could be replaced.

'It's not like they'll kill me.'

Hebron Fortress was seen less as a place people were forcibly sent to and more as a place they were selected for.

He hadn't run away during battle, so surely they would take that into account.

Still, people would probably call him an idiot for the rest of his life. He would never become a legendary knight.

'...No. I couldn't become a legendary knight with my skills anyway.'

During the two-odd months he had spent at Hebron Fortress, Reto had come to understand exactly where he stood among the finest knights.

He might be able to become a fairly capable knight like Sir Jester. But he didn't think he could ever become a legendary knight like Leonhardt or Brenic.

No, he would probably never even reach Elbridge's level.

'But if I bring Elbridge back and have him join the Order, I may not become everyone's hero, but I could at least become the Order's hero. For someone like me, that's not bad...'

How long had they walked while he entertained such thoughts?

A low sound came from the forest.

Rustle.

Elbridge and Reto stopped and stared in the direction of the sound.

It wasn't the wind shaking the bushes.

'Something heavy stepping on old fallen leaves.'

What they glimpsed between the bushes was a bear. One demonic beast transformed from a bear, followed by several wild bears.

Neither Elbridge nor Reto paid much attention to the ordinary bears. The only one worth worrying about was the bear demonic beast with its dark sheen.

"Enhancement type. Judging by that gloss, it's probably in the middle to late stages."

"At least it's an enhancement type. It won't be too troublesome, right?"

Reto and Elbridge hurriedly prepared for battle.

Among humans, leaders usually stayed behind while those of lower rank handled the dangerous work.

Beasts were different. The leader went first, and became the leader because it went first.

As expected, the bear demonic beast at the head of the pack charged them.

Crunch, thud. Thud!

Heavy footsteps accompanied the sound of old fallen leaves being crushed beneath its feet.

The bear demonic beast targeted Elbridge rather than Reto. Reto was about to support Elbridge, then hesitated.

'Elbridge is stronger than me anyway... It's better to stay out of the way than get tangled up with him for no reason.'

Elbridge ran toward the demonic beast.

Just as the bear demonic beast raised its massive forepaw to strike, Elbridge casually held his shield out and whispered,

"Divine power of No Retreat."

The demonic beast's forepaw cut through the air and slammed into Elbridge's shield.

Thud!

Elbridge should have been sent flying, but he took the attack without moving an inch.

When an attack landed or an opponent dodged, it was easy to respond immediately. Those were situations one could predict to some extent.

But when the result of a collision was unexpected, reacting immediately became difficult. A small human effortlessly blocking the attack of a massive demonic beast was exactly that kind of situation.

The demonic beast's strength failed to disperse naturally and came back as a powerful recoil.

Its movements became tangled. The upper and lower halves of its body failed to move in concert, leaving an opening.

Elbridge stepped in and swung his sword.

The backs of enhancement-type demonic beasts hardened first, while the undersides of their bodies strengthened much later. There were almost no exceptions to that rule.

Screech-

Elbridge's sword left a small wound on the back of the demonic beast's neck.

Then he thrust his sword at the wound. Sensing danger, the demonic beast twisted its body, but Elbridge's blade sank into the wound without fail.

And Elbridge didn't stop there.

Crack.

As though working a lever, Elbridge roughly twisted his sword and broke the creature's neck.

The entire exchange took less than two breaths from the first clash.

"..."

Reto silently watched Elbridge.

It was a response too precise, effective, and violent to imitate.

The moment their leader fell, the bears began to slink away. The situation was over as soon as it began.

Reto thought Elbridge, still excited, might be quietly hoping for praise. But Elbridge's response was different from what Reto expected.

Elbridge looked unsettled.

"Something's strange."

"What's strange?"

"When I received divine power, it felt strange."

"That unpleasant feeling you said was conveyed to you?"

"Yeah."

"What can we do? For now, we should be grateful that she granted you divine power at all."

They were leaving the Order of the Rusted Shield to join the Order of the Third Hand.

Reto swallowed those words. Elbridge would understand what he meant without him saying it.

But Elbridge shook his head.

"It's the opposite. When I received divine power just now... I didn't feel any displeasure at all."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is. But it doesn't make me feel good."

"Why?"

"Because now that I'm trying to leave the Order, she's trying to hold on to me."

Elbridge clenched his teeth and muttered quietly.

"She should've treated me better before. Doing this now won't..."

Ah. So that was how Elbridge saw it.

Elbridge asked Reto, "Reto. What do I have to do to join the Order of the Third Hand?"

Reto was pleased by Elbridge's proactive attitude. At the same time, it felt a little hasty.

The main temple of the Order of the Third Hand was in Middlemarch, in the central region. It would take a long time to get there.

The journey would be long enough that encountering a demon rather than a demonic beast wouldn't be surprising. If Elbridge rashly turned his back on the Goddess of the Rusted Shield and became unable to receive divine power... there was a good chance he would run into trouble in an emergency.

Reto also thought it would be better to bring Elbridge to the main temple and convert him there, rather than bring him after he had already converted.

How dramatic would it be if Reto, who had left for the north, returned with a Paladin of the Order of the Rusted Shield, and that Paladin declared his conversion?

And dramatic situations would have a positive effect on Reto's evaluation.

He even had a suitable excuse.

"It doesn't matter where you convert. But how about waiting a little?"

"Why?"

"Because Paladins are appointed at the Order's main temple anyway."

Reto also did not forget to be mindful of the Goddess of the Rusted Shield.

"It'll take quite a while to get from here to Middlemarch. I think you should use the journey to think carefully about whether you'll regret your decision."

Reto thought it was unlikely Elbridge would change his mind. His dissatisfaction had built up for years, until he finally ran away from Hebron Fortress. Why would he suddenly reconsider now?

But if Elbridge remained tied to the Order of the Rusted Shield like this, he could freely use its divine power during the journey.

Reto could also expect a higher evaluation than if he converted Elbridge in advance and brought him back. It was a threefold gain.

As expected, Elbridge nodded.

"Okay. Let's do that."

Reto was satisfied.

* * *

Reto and Elbridge traveled across the north.

It was a harsh route where an ordinary person would have had to risk their life several times.

Yet Reto and Elbridge traveled leisurely, chatting and even joking around as though they were on a picnic.

Compared to Elbridge, Reto's abilities paled, but he was still an elite Paladin who had been recognized at a young age and assigned to Hebron Fortress.

After traveling for more than ten days, the two arrived near the Norens River, which marked the boundary between the north and central region.

Norens City, stretching along the Norens River, greeted them.

Just before they entered the city, Elbridge spoke.

"The atmosphere seems a little unsettled. Was this place always like this?"

There was uncertainty in Elbridge's voice.

The last time Elbridge had stayed in Norens City was three or four years ago, and he had been much younger then.

Which meant that even Elbridge could tell something about the city's atmosphere was wrong.

Unlike Elbridge, Reto had passed through Norens City only three months earlier.

"It seems strange to me, too. Three months ago, it felt much livelier than this."

Reto stepped back and took in the long stretch of Norens City. Then he spotted something unusual.

"Look over there."

One side of the city had been literally crushed.

Like any city of a certain size, Norens City had knights and Paladins.

An ordinary demonic beast could not have broken through their defenses and left damage like that.

"It looks like a demon appeared."

"Probably."

Hebron Fortress existed to draw in and defeat demons.

But of course, that didn't mean it could stop every demon. Demons didn't walk around following roads.

The two entered the nearest inn.

People's gazes snapped toward Elbridge and Reto. More precisely, toward the markings on their cuirasses.

Reto and Elbridge rented a room for the night, then cut meat roasting by the fire and placed it on their plates.

Just as they were about to begin eating, a guest at the next table who had finished their meal spoke to them.

"Are you both Paladins?"

"Yes."

"You're quite young. The symbol on that young man's armor is from the Order of the Rusted Shield... right?"

"That's right."

"I see."

The guest who had finished eating left the inn.

Elbridge showed little reaction. Reto, however, could roughly guess what would happen next.

The Order of the Rusted Shield was famous for having few members, and Elbridge looked absurdly young. It would have been stranger if people weren't suspicious.

His prediction wasn't wrong.

A short while later, a knight entered the inn and said, "I heard someone is impersonating a Paladin."

Interest appeared on the inn guests' faces. It wasn't hard to guess what they hoped for.

Impersonating a Paladin was a serious crime. They were likely hoping to see Elbridge and Reto humiliated and thrown out, then thoroughly beaten as well.

'...I suppose I'll have to show them the demonic beast materials we collected on the way.'

Reto had kept some materials from the demonic beasts they had killed in case something like this happened. Bear demonic beast claws, for example.

The flesh at the tips of the claws had begun to rot and gave off an unpleasant smell, but that smell was proof that the hunt had not happened long ago.

"Please wait a moment."

While Reto searched through his luggage, Elbridge and the knight's eyes met.

The knight's gaze moved from Elbridge's face to the symbol on his cuirass.

A brief silence followed.

Then the knight said, "You're the... squire who came with Sir Leonhardt before, aren't you? What was your name again? Elbor?"

"Elbridge."

"Ah, right. Elbridge. You've grown a lot."

The inn guests began to murmur.

"...He really was a Paladin?"

But they weren't disappointed.

Watching a fake Paladin get beaten and thrown out would have been entertaining, but seeing a Paladin who was impossibly young was just as interesting.

Especially when that Paladin belonged to the famously elite Order of the Rusted Shield.

The knight naturally sat across from Elbridge, beside Reto.

"You've changed so much I barely recognized you. You're already a full Paladin?"

"A few years have passed. More importantly, I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"One side of the city was crushed. Was that a demon's doing?"

"That's right. It's unfortunate, but there's no need to worry too much. It happened about a month ago."

"Is that so?"

People living through difficult times inevitably had to become a little numb.

Even if a demon appeared and caused chaos, after about a month, they could more or less return to their daily lives.

"I heard you were going to Hebron Fortress last time. What brings you to Norens?"

"We stopped by while traveling."

Not even giving a general direction meant they didn't want to reveal their destination. The knight wasn't tactless enough to press travelers about where they were going.

At the same time, the knight was considerate enough to warn them about places they should be careful of.

"If you head south, be careful."

"It sounds like something happened."

"An armed merchant caravan from Middlemarch should have arrived by now, but it still hasn't."

An armed merchant caravan was a caravan strong enough to defeat most demonic beasts.

It was like a combination of a Mercenary company and a merchant caravan. Knights and Paladins who had retired from the front lines were often hired by such caravans.

"Those people wouldn't miss a scheduled arrival even if their own family died. Something must have happened. If you end up heading south, be careful."

"Understood."

The knight gave Elbridge's shoulder a few pats and rose from their seat.

It was a small gesture, but the knight's actions held a clear intent. The knight was subtly showing off their connection with a Paladin of the Order of the Rusted Shield to everyone in the inn.

Reto and Elbridge didn't notice that intention, though.

"See you next time."

The knight smiled and left the inn.

Elbridge and Reto looked at each other.

They didn't exchange many words. Still, they reached the same conclusion.

If they went south from here, they would definitely get caught up in trouble.

"Are we going?"

Elbridge answered Reto's question.

"Could it be worse than Hebron Fortress?"

The two grinned at the same time.

Footnotes:

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