WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 25

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Roar

The roar died down.

The spectators were clearly flustered by the unexpected turn of events.

In the silence that refused to break, Elbridge could feel the tension, and the anticipation, building.

Elbridge was certain.

Even people who had not come to watch the Grand Festival would end up hearing about this match until their ears ached.

The High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear gave orders to the paladins under their command.

"Form up."

The young paladin Felix asked quietly, "···High Paladin, did we even have a formation for fighting human opponents?"

The Order of the Bloodstained Spear had maintained its influence by actively hunting demonic beasts.

Since there was no reason to hunt demonic beasts alone, the Order had also put a great deal of effort into coordinated attack drills for demonic-beast hunts.

Naturally, the young paladin Felix had learned many formations.

But they all had one thing in common. They were formations built around fighting demonic beasts, not humans.

The High Paladin answered.

"No."

"We're not hunting demonic beasts. Why do we need a formation for demonic-beast hunting?"

"Because we've never seen anyone fight like that."

Demonic-beast attacks were hard to predict. That was why formations designed to face demonic beasts were built to respond to as many variables as possible.

Elbridge was sure to attack with movements even harder to predict than a demonic beast's, so the proper response was to face him with a formation built for demonic-beast battles.

'···Damn.'

Felix felt a sting of pride in his chest.

The paladins of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear had skill that compared favorably with the paladins of any combat church. That was Felix's pride.

And now five of those paladins had gathered to face one person.

Felix remembered the first time he had met Elbridge. Elbridge had stood alone and dazed in that vast temple.

He had looked so miserable that Felix had even suggested that Elbridge join the church without thinking twice.

But now Elbridge's presence was on a completely different level from Felix's.

'···Hoo.'

In the end, Felix stood beside the other paladins.

The High Paladin gave the order.

"Move."

The paladins of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear slowly approached Elbridge, each holding a long spear in the left hand and a short spear in the right.

The long spear in the left hand was less a weapon for subduing an enemy and more like armor for blocking a demonic beast's frontal charge.

If necessary, they could also use the long spear to aim for an enemy's vital point, but their main means of attack was the short spear in the right hand.

Felix held his breath and watched Elbridge's movements in silence.

Elbridge was looking their way with his sword hanging low. Unlike what the name Order of the Rusted Shield suggested, there was no shield on Elbridge's left arm.

Just as they would when surrounding and subduing a demonic beast, Felix kept pace with the paladins beside him and crept forward. Five spearheads aimed at Elbridge.

Then Elbridge bent his knees. The High Paladin shouted.

"Now!"

At the same time, the five paladins set the rear ends of their spear shafts against the floor and planted their left feet on them. Then, with their left arms, they heaved the shafts upward with all their strength.

The hard, springy shafts bent smoothly, and the spearheads pointed at Elbridge. In this stance, even monstrous weight could be taken on a spear.

Even giant demonic beasts had only two choices when faced with this formation.

Either rush forward and get skewered to death, or slow down and fall into a deadlock.

Elbridge did not run forward.

He ran to the right.

"Side!"

All five spearheads instantly shifted toward the right.

But Elbridge changed direction with a single step and ran left.

"Other way!"

The spearheads that had been aimed right swung back left.

However, because of the centrifugal force and the strength with which they were pressing down on the spear shafts, the change in direction lagged a little. For the briefest moment, a gap opened between the five long spears.

Elbridge did not miss it. He drove straight into that opening.

Felix clenched his teeth.

'Doesn't matter!'

The long spears only had to slow the opponent down to do their job, so this was still enough.

The five paladins let go of their long spears at the same time and thrust with their short spears. Elbridge's sword drew a graceful line and knocked three short spears aside.

Two short spears remained. One was the High Paladin's. The other was Felix's.

Felix saw Elbridge use his left forearm to shove away the shaft of the High Paladin's short spear.

And Felix's short spear was still aimed at Elbridge. Felix widened his eyes and waited for Elbridge's response.

'I won't go down easily.'

But Elbridge's response was different from what Felix expected.

Instead of dodging or deflecting Felix's short spear, Elbridge exposed his left shoulder to the spearhead.

Grind-

A sword was made to cut. A spear was made to stab.

Armor that was hard to pierce with a sword could be pierced with a spear. That was only true when a paladin's monstrous strength and enough skill came together, though.

And Felix had that level of ability.

"···!"

Felix's short spear pierced Elbridge's pauldron and gouged deep into the flesh of his shoulder.

For an instant, it even felt like the spearhead scraped bone. It was definitely a solid hit.

'···He gave up his shoulder that easily? Did I mess up?'

No.

The moment Felix met Elbridge's calm eyes, he realized it had not been a mistake.

Swish-

As if he could not feel pain at all, Elbridge swung his sword without the slightest hesitation.

Elbridge's sword cut the rings that fastened the helmet and cuirass together on two of the paladins' helmets.

Clatter-rattle-

In an instant, two helmets came off and rolled across the arena floor.

Only then did Felix understand Elbridge's intent.

Elbridge was not a perfectionist who tried to win battles without taking a scratch.

His calculation was simple.

It was better to give up his left shoulder and deal with only three opponents than to stay unharmed and face all five.

'Crazy.'

The logic could be understood, but it was not something just anyone could do. Who in the world could thrust a shoulder toward a spearhead like that?

Even if someone could somehow copy that insanely bold choice, how could they follow it up so cleanly, as if they felt no pain at all?

The two paladins whose helmets had been knocked off lowered their short spears and stepped back.

They understood that if Elbridge had wanted to, he could have killed them.

'···Two down. Three left.'

A beat later, the crowd exploded into cheers.

"Waaah!"

Unlike the excited spectators, the host looked stunned.

The host knew that Felix's short spear had driven deep into Elbridge's shoulder.

And yet the host still could not stop the match.

A match could only be stopped once a fighter was no longer able to continue. But Elbridge's movements had barely changed at all after taking the wound, so the match could not be halted.

"Hmm."

Elbridge spun the sword in his right hand and walked toward the three paladins of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear.

He looked like someone who was already in control. Felix, without meaning to, took two or three steps back, then belatedly realized how foolish that looked and stopped.

The High Paladin said, "Don't get rattled. Wait for your chance. It's fine if two more fall. If even one of us lands the finishing blow, our victory···."

Before the High Paladin could finish, Elbridge charged again. Three short spears each traced their own line toward him.

This time too, Elbridge's sword swept away two of the short spears. That was only possible because his skill was clearly superior.

Again, Felix's short spear remained.

'This time, I will make sure it lands.'

Elbridge raised his left arm. Was he planning to knock the spear aside with his arm, just as he had shoved away the High Paladin's spear in the previous clash?

No. Elbridge's shoulder was injured, and his left arm was not moving freely.

Elbridge's left hand opened wide, as if signaling to stop the attack. But Felix did not hesitate and thrust the short spear hard.

Felix's short spear pierced Elbridge's palm.

'Good!'

That was good enough. But Elbridge's next move went beyond Felix's expectations.

Even with his palm pierced, Elbridge behaved as if he still could not feel pain.

Felix only realized too late that Elbridge's helmet was closing in fast. A headbutt.

Thunk!

Felix lost his balance from the unexpected attack and crashed down. His head rang.

'I need to get up.'

But the very next moment, Felix realized that Elbridge's foot had been planted on his chest. The tip of Elbridge's sword was even touching the skin above his throat.

If this had been a real battle, he would have died here.

"···."

Elbridge said briefly.

"Let go."

Felix, no different from a dead man, released the spear shaft in his grip.

Elbridge's next action was even more aggressive.

He twisted the short spear trapped in his own hand and ripped it free. Then, with an almost casual motion, he threw the spear and pierced another paladin's knee.

"Aaagh!"

Felix's head spun. He could not understand what was happening.

The paladins of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear and Elbridge had only clashed twice.

Elbridge had given up his shoulder to take down two of them, and he had given up his palm to take down Felix.

Then he had immediately thrown the spear to take down one more. Four people were disabled in an instant.

Up to now, the most perfect victory Felix had imagined was a clean win without even a single wound.

But Elbridge had shown him another meaning of "the most perfect victory."

To eliminate every enemy with absurd speed and absolute certainty, even if wounds and pain came with it.

Felix had only one thought.

'Bold. And practical.'

Until now, he had believed that the spear techniques of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear were the most practical there was. But Elbridge's sword showed something beyond that.

Felix felt as if a kind of revelation was unfolding, lifting him to a higher level.

Only one person now stood before Elbridge. The High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear.

Elbridge and the High Paladin silently faced each other.

The injured one was Elbridge, while the High Paladin had not yet suffered even the smallest wound.

And yet everyone in the arena knew how this fight would end.

The High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear must have sensed defeat too, because they clamped down hard on the spear shaft.

Even in defeat, they intended to block Elbridge's attack at least once.

But instead of charging his final opponent, Elbridge asked the host,

"Host."

"Yes?"

"If I win, can this match's victory count as a victory for the Order of the Rusted Shield?"

The host looked dumbfounded and turned to Scarlet, the leader of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss.

Scarlet nodded. She had not forgotten what Bibeka had said before stepping into the arena.

But after a brief moment of thought, the host shook their head.

"···That is not permitted under the rules. Sir Elbridge, you entered as the Grand Warrior of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss."

"I see."

Elbridge's right hand went to the back of his neck. His gauntleted fingers released the catch between the helmet and the cuirass, and he took off his helmet. His hair spilled out from under it.

At the unexpected move, every spectator fell silent and watched Elbridge.

Elbridge said, "I forfeit."

"···What?"

The host, the High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear, and all the spectators were stunned by the sudden declaration and action.

A forfeit that had nothing to do with the flow of the match? What a hollow result.

But no one booed Elbridge.

There was no one in that arena who could have booed him after seeing what he had done.

Elbridge gave the High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear a brief, formal bow, then jumped down from the stage.

Only then did the host announce it.

"The winner is···. The Order of the Bloodstained Spear!"

At the Grand Festival, it was customary to chant the victor's name at the top of one's lungs.

But the spectators did not chant the name of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear, the winner. They were only confused.

Even after Elbridge had come down from the stage, the arena remained silent.

Hakon and Arvid came over to Elbridge and patted him on the back.

"That was incredible!"

Scarlet also praised his performance.

"I knew you could fight, but I didn't know it was this good... Get inside for now! I'll treat you right away!"

But one person still didn't understand what was going on.

Bibeka still could not make sense of what had just happened.

"Why did you forfeit all of a sudden? It was obvious you were going to win if you kept fighting!"

He felt like laughing for no reason.

Everyone who had entered the match together understood why, and the person involved was the only one who did not.

"It's because of you."

"Because of me? Why are you suddenly blaming me..."

In the end, Elbridge burst out laughing.

Then, using his gauntleted right hand, he messed up Bibeka's hair and said, "You may not understand it now, but you'll know by this time next year."

Leaving only those words behind, Elbridge headed for the waiting room.

Bibeka was still bewildered as she stared after him.

Elbridge sat alone in the waiting room and whispered softly,

"Goddess. I wanted to raise the Order's name from a slightly higher place, but... this is how it turned out. I'm sorry."

Then the goddess's voice, tinged with laughter, came to his ear.

"Sorry? Elbridge. Did you think your goddess, starved for glory, would even covet the dreams of that child named Bibeka?"

"That's not it."

"If that's what you understood, then good. And Elbridge, I can't understand why you would feel guilty."

"That's because···."

"She is the child I cherish most. Are you truly hearing nothing at all?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Listen closely. You'll see that you have no reason to feel guilty at all."

Elbridge did as the goddess told him and listened in silence.

The crowd's cheer had started only after a delay.

That roar began to reach the waiting room faintly.

At first, it was a small cry.

But it grew louder and louder, until at last it became something that could not be compared to the usual cheering.

Countless spectators were chanting the name of the one who was no longer on the stage.

All of them were crying out Elbridge's name, and the name of the Order of the Rusted Shield, until their voices gave out.

Elbridge stood up and headed for the arena.

As soon as the vanished Elbridge appeared again, a roar shook the arena once more.

Since this arena had been built, there had probably never been a cheer larger than this one.

"Rusted Shield! Elbridge! Rusted Shield! Elbridge!"

Only then did Elbridge whisper softly.

"Now I can hear it clearly, Goddess."

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