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◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 26

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Proselytizing

Every year, the biggest talking point at the Grand Festival was which church had won the friendly tournament.

This year, though, one church drew even more attention than the winner: the Order of the Rusted Shield.

People are drawn to new, intense experiences.

Compared with the annual champion, Elbridge's explosive performance and withdrawal left a much stronger impression, so it was only natural that people's attention focused on the Order of the Rusted Shield.

The fact that the Order of the Bloodstained Spear had taken the championship was also a boon for the Order of the Rusted Shield.

The gossipmongers of Holy City Solenion gathered in little groups and chattered.

"Of course! I knew the Order of the Bloodstained Spear would win this year."

"Could you even call that a win? They almost lost to one person in the second match of the Main Round. No, they basically did lose."

"Who doesn't know that? The important thing is this: I picked the winning team and made money."

"By the way, this was the first time I'd heard of the Order of the Rusted Shield at this Grand Festival. Is it a church from another region? If a church from the west or south had done that well at the eastern Grand Festival, it would have been disappointing."

"That's not it. They have a temple in the Hillside Slums. In fact, it's the main temple."

Any talk of the Grand Festival inevitably led to the champion, the Order of the Bloodstained Spear. And once the Order of the Bloodstained Spear came up, the Order of the Rusted Shield came to mind as well.

Elbridge's goal of making the church's name known far and wide may even have been surpassed, since he had chosen to withdraw.

Just as Elbridge and the Goddess of the Rusted Shield were thoroughly satisfied with the tournament result, the Order of Spring Rain and Moss was satisfied too. They had achieved their goal of beating the Order of the God of Flowing Water.

At first glance, it looked like a tournament that left everyone satisfied.

To Elbridge, though, there was one church that might have been unhappy with the Grand Festival's result: the Order of the Bloodstained Spear.

Elbridge asked the goddess in a worried voice.

"Goddess. By any chance, did the God of the Bloodstained Spear complain to you? They must have lost quite a bit of face because of me."

An oracle came down at once.

- The God of Flowing Water was somewhat displeased, but the God of the Bloodstained Spear didn't have much of a reaction.

"That's unexpected."

- That god is hard to read. Still, the God of the Bloodstained Spear was probably fairly satisfied.

"···Pardon?"

- Did the God of the Bloodstained Spear not represent a victory won the hard way? In the end, that god won, and thanks to you the process was even harder, so it was a more fitting outcome than most. If anything, the God of the Bloodstained Spear should be thanking you.

From the tone of the oracle, the Goddess of the Rusted Shield seemed to be taking some pleasure in Elbridge's performance against the Bloodstained Spear paladins.

'When Felix tried to proselytize me last time, it seemed like she complained to the God of the Bloodstained Spear and got ignored... Was that resentment still left over?'

Elbridge thought that, but it was a little disrespectful, so he didn't say it out loud.

"Leaving the God of the Bloodstained Spear aside, it has become awkward for me to face the Bloodstained Spear paladins. Their temple happens to be right next door, after all..."

- Elbridge. If it really bothers you, go explain the situation to them yourself. Your goddess will be busy teasing the God of the Bloodstained Spear in the meantime.

"···."

Elbridge decided to pretend he hadn't heard the goddess's last line and headed straight for the Order of the Bloodstained Spear.

"Oh! Isn't that Sir Elbridge? Come in!"

Unlike the cold stares Elbridge had imagined, the paladins of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear welcomed him warmly.

The High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear even joked with Elbridge.

"It's common for paladins to switch over to the church that won at the Grand Festival. Are you trying to join the Order of the Bloodstained Spear too?"

"···No, that's not it."

"If you change your mind, say the word anytime. A skilled man like Sir Elbridge is always welcome."

Unlike the solemn, serious demeanor he had shown onstage, the High Paladin of the Order of the Bloodstained Spear seemed quite cheerful. That was a relief.

Elbridge said awkwardly, "No, that's not it. I came to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes. Didn't I make things much more awkward by withdrawing? The burden must have been heavy in the later matches too."

Then the High Paladin burst out laughing.

"Sir Elbridge. What do you think when a knight from a church that looks like it's about to lose declares withdrawal?"

"It would be better to fight to the end, but... I would respect their judgment and choice. Isn't that their right?"

"Exactly. Even losers have the right to withdraw. So why do you think winners shouldn't have the same right?"

That was a genuinely fresh way of looking at it.

"I've never thought of it that way."

"Sir Elbridge. Don't forget that winners have more rights than you might think. Besides, our church doesn't make a fuss over something so petty, so there's no need for you to feel sorry."

The High Paladin smiled faintly and went on in a calm voice.

"I know people out there are talking about a half-win. But even a half-win is better than a complete defeat."

"I see."

"If you still feel bad, then help train our paladins sometime later. They'd have a lot to learn."

"Understood."

"See you again."

Fortunately, the relationship with the neighboring church didn't seem like it would become strained. Elbridge finally let out a breath of relief.

Not long ago, the Hillside Slums had been nearly empty of people. Anyone wandering around was usually connected to the church, and every now and then believers would come looking for the temple.

After the Grand Festival ended, though, the number of people heading up to the Hillside Slums noticeably increased. People who still couldn't forget the excitement of the Grand Festival were taking an interest in the combat churches.

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield was excited.

- Elbridge. People's interest is like the tide, so this excitement will surely die down soon. We should receive as many believers as possible while the chance is here.

"I will certainly fulfill my duty, Goddess."

Elbridge brewed a huge pot of tea, then ladled it into a teapot.

After that, he brought a table and the teapot out in front of the temple and sat down. The people who spotted Elbridge swarmed over like a cloud.

"Look over there! It's Sir Elbridge!"

"Sir Elbridge! That was amazing!"

Elbridge responded with a much warmer smile than usual.

"Thank you. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be my honor!"

- Bring the person beside them in too, Elbridge.

"Please, you over there too. I have plenty of tea leaves and plenty of cups ready."

"Really? Thank you!"

"By the way... while you're drinking, would you mind hearing a little about our goddess?"

Elbridge spent the entire day running himself ragged, brewing tea alone and welcoming guests.

It took more stamina than fighting ever did, and even Elbridge found it hard to endure.

'If I had even one or two people helping me, this would be so much easier...'

But in this city, where Elbridge was the only believer, there was no one who could help him.

So proselytizing continued from morning until late at night.

Only after the world had sunk into deep darkness did Elbridge finally finish hosting guests and sit down.

Exhausted, Elbridge prayed to the goddess.

"Goddess. Your paladin has completed a long and arduous battle."

- Even in unfamiliar circumstances, you did not panic and carried out your duty with composure. Truly excellent work, Elbridge.

With the goddess's praise, strength seemed to surge back into his body.

But what made Elbridge even happier was something else altogether. He asked the goddess with great anticipation.

"Goddess. May I ask how many new believers prayed to you today?"

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield answered in a very proud voice.

- More than a hundred, Elbridge.

Considering that the only existing believers had been Elbridge and Walter, welcoming a hundred believers in a single day was an unbelievable result. The church's influence had grown more than fiftyfold in one day.

At the same time, though, a hundred was still a number that fell short of Elbridge's expectations.

Today, Elbridge had brewed tea in a huge pot twelve times and served tea to as many as eight hundred people. Yet only a hundred of them had prayed to the goddess?

- Don't be disappointed, Elbridge. People do not change their faith as easily as you think. It's actually surprising that a hundred of today's visitors offered prayers. Besides, believers will keep flooding in for a while yet, so there is no need to be discouraged by today's results.

"That makes sense. May I ask how many of those who prayed were paladins?"

That was the part Elbridge was most eager about.

Among the people who had visited the Order of the Rusted Shield today, the number of paladins had been unusually high. Across the small, mid-sized, and large churches combined, at least thirty paladins had come to the Order of the Rusted Shield today.

As a paladin of the Order of the Rusted Shield, which had once struggled terribly to recruit paladins, Elbridge wanted as many paladins as possible to become believers.

But the goddess's oracle was not what Elbridge expected.

- There were none.

"···?"

Elbridge stood there in confusion for a moment, then belatedly offered a prayer to the goddess.

"···I see. I will work harder to welcome more believers tomorrow."

- Do that, Elbridge.

The goddess's presence faded.

Elbridge immediately got up and headed for the Order of the Bloodstained Spear.

And there, he spotted Felix loitering in front of the temple.

"Felix. There were an incredible number of people who came to the Order of the Bloodstained Spear today."

"It looked like even more people had gone to the Order of the Rusted Shield, though."

"Did it? By the way, I have something I want to ask you... mind if I do?"

"Anything."

"If you proselytize like this once, how many people actually end up joining the church?"

"Well. I don't know for sure, but I think I heard that roughly one in ten people join the church. Some of them change their faith again later, though..."

Elbridge nodded.

Today, the Order of the Rusted Shield had received a new believer for every seven or eight visitors, so the Order of the Rusted Shield's results were better.

"Felix. Can I ask one more thing?"

"What is it?"

"There were quite a lot of paladins who came to the Order of the Bloodstained Spear today, weren't there?"

"Maybe around a dozen? I think so."

"How many of them joined the church?"

Felix shrugged.

"Well. I don't know, but at least ten, probably."

"That many?"

"They're not ordinary believers. How often does someone who's already a paladin visit another church without planning to change their faith?"

Elbridge felt a little confused.

'I couldn't even get one out of thirty-odd paladins, and the Order of the Bloodstained Spear got ten out of fifteen?'

But he couldn't ask Felix why that was.

"···See you later, Felix."

Elbridge was left even more confused.

If the Order of the Bloodstained Spear had been an ordinary church that competed on benefits, he could have understood the difference.

But the Order of the Bloodstained Spear, like the Order of the Rusted Shield, was a combat church. Even if someone joined, there were no practical benefits attached.

'Was Felix bluffing? No. He'd have no reason to lie about something like that. Then why in the world...'

Elbridge stumbled back to the temple.

But there was clearly someone inside the temple, which should have been quiet.

'Who is it?'

It was Bibeka.

Bibeka was tidying up the temple, which had been left in a mess by a full day of guests.

"Bibeka? What brings you here?"

When Elbridge asked, Bibeka said primly, "I heard from Hakon why you withdrew."

Elbridge thought of the short, stocky Hakon.

So he really wasn't the tight-lipped type.

Bibeka smiled with satisfaction and crossed her arms.

Then Bibeka strode toward Elbridge and stopped three or four steps away, staring straight into his eyes.

In the dim temple interior, only a few candles illuminated Bibeka's figure.

Bibeka said, "Sir Elbridge. Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

"Something I want to say?"

"Anything is fine. I'll listen seriously, so be honest."

Elbridge could clearly see the expectation in Bibeka's eyes.

But while he could tell that there was expectation there, he couldn't figure out what it was she expected.

"···Well."

Bibeka toyed with a lock of hair and said, "I heard everything from Hakon..."

He had no idea what that meant.

As Elbridge stood there awkwardly, Bibeka stepped closer.

"Then don't you have anything to ask of me?"

A favor.

Thinking back on what had happened today, Elbridge's eyes lit up.

"I'm a little overwhelmed doing this alone, so... could you help me with proselytizing for the next few days?"

Bibeka stared at Elbridge for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

"All right. I can wait that long, so think it over slowly."

Elbridge had secured free help.

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