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Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 5

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Benefits

'No. This might actually be a good situation.'

Demonic beasts and demons carried fragments of the evil god.

Those fragments also held a kind of divinity, so hunting demonic beasts and demons and absorbing the divinity contained in those evil god fragments was the fastest way for a paladin to grow stronger.

The problem was that the chance of dying while hunting demonic beasts was fairly high, and trouble often followed if an evil god fragment was absorbed the wrong way···.

'It was all something I had already done before, so it didn't matter.'

Marcus and Rick also spoke as if demonic beasts were rare in this day and age.

'Unlike in the past, this is a world where opportunities to absorb evil god fragments are rare. Fighting demonic beasts should be seen as a rare chance. A chance to recover even a little strength.'

The one coming to drive off the wolf pack wasn't even a paladin, but a knight.

Unlike paladins, who built strength by accumulating divinity, knights built theirs by gathering mana, like mages.

In other words, knights did not compete with paladins for the divinity carried by demonic beasts.

'This is a rare chance. A chance to hunt demonic beasts comfortably and gain strength with the help of a knight who doesn't covet divinity.'

The God of Fox Rain, whom Marcus served, tended to bring trouble along with luck so the good fortune would stand out.

But there was no rule saying that trouble had to become misfortune for everyone around it. Trouble always came with opportunity.

The knight who had been sent to pick him up by Marcus's mercenary companion arrived much earlier than expected.

The merchant and the knight exchanged greetings.

"It's been a while, Sir Walter."

"You look well. Have you been doing all right?"

"Yes. How are Sir Oswald and Sir Eberhard?"

"They're keeping busy. If you sit still, rust settles even on the human body."

Elbridge, listening from the side, let out a silent chuckle.

At first glance, it sounded like an ordinary greeting, but it wasn't just a greeting.

When the merchant asked after Knights Oswald and Eberhard, he was really asking why Walter had come alone instead of with them.

Walter's answer, that they were keeping busy, meant they had their own duties and couldn't come.

The merchant had expected at least three knights, so his hopes had been dashed.

Sure enough, the merchant's expression wasn't all that bright. But the knight didn't bother reading his mood. He was a knight.

Elbridge looked at the knight.

He had a wrinkled but still handsome face and snow-white hair. His armor was polished smooth, though shallow scratches dotted it here and there. He was the very picture of an old knight.

'An old knight is better than some inexperienced brat. Especially since they said fights with demonic beasts aren't common these days···.'

Sir Walter spoke with the merchant a little longer, then walked over to Elbridge.

"Are you the one who killed a wolf with a pocketknife?"

"I got lucky."

"I don't think something like that can happen by luck alone. You were a mercenary, I hear?"

Unlike the blunt manner he used with the merchant, the old knight was noticeably gentler with Elbridge.

"There was a time when I lived by the sword."

"Humble. Would you perhaps be interested in learning swordsmanship from me?"

In other words, he was asking if Elbridge would become his disciple.

For Sir Walter, it was a bold offer to make on a first meeting, but Elbridge refused as if it were only natural.

"That's difficult."

"Why? You'd be able to live much more comfortably than you do now."

"I have my reasons."

"Reasons, huh···."

Sir Walter did not press further.

"If you change your mind, come to the Riverford Barony anytime and find Sir Walter."

"Thank you for your kindness."

"By the way, what is your name?"

"El···."

Elbridge was about to say that, then added one more word.

"···Elbridge."

There was no need to hide his name in an age when demons had become nothing more than a legend.

But Walter's reaction was different from what Elbridge expected.

"Elbridge, huh. Which god do you follow?"

"I serve the Goddess of the Rusted Shield."

"Hmm. Your parents must have been very devout."

"···Excuse me?"

"Otherwise they wouldn't have given that name to their child. It seems you don't know the origin of your own name?"

Elbridge had gotten his name from the name of a neighborhood, so there was no real origin to speak of.

But Walter took Elbridge's reaction however he pleased.

"Well, it's the sort of name only an old man interested in legends would know. Your name belonged to the legendary paladin who sealed the Archdemon. The Silent Paladin. Sir Elbridge of the Order of the Rusted Shield."

It was more accurate to say he had been sealed away than that he had sealed it, but saying he had sealed it wasn't exactly wrong either.

Still, the name Silent Paladin felt a little strange. Elbridge wasn't exactly the quiet type.

Now thoroughly intrigued, Elbridge tested Walter with a casual question.

"I've heard demons are just legends."

"They're not legends."

Elbridge held his breath and waited for Walter to continue.

It sounded like he was about to say something specific.

"···That's what I believe. If you dig through old records, you'll find quite a few detailed accounts of demons. According to my grandfather, my great-grandfather said that in his youth he had fought a demon and···."

For some reason, the story kept getting vaguer.

But even that was enough to make Elbridge's heart race.

Even if many people had forgotten, the name Elbridge had remained in history, and someone remembered it.

When he reached the Holy City, Elbridge decided, he would comb through the old records and search for every mention of his name.

'Countless historians must have praised me in unison···.'

Walter continued.

"Anyway, I hadn't realized the Order of the Rusted Shield was still around. This is the first time I've met one of its followers in person."

"It's practically a ruined order."

"Haha. In that case, how about joining our order instead?"

"Which order are you a member of, Sir Walter?"

"I follow the Goddess of the Golden Tray."

"···The Goddess of the Golden Tray?"

"Yes. The Goddess of the Golden Tray, who currently holds the undisputed top spot in the Heavenly Council's seat count."

Elbridge was utterly flustered.

The Goddess of the Golden Tray symbolized generosity and financial luck. Unlike the God of Fox Rain, she had been a fairly popular deity even in ancient times.

However, most of her followers were merchants, and she was not a god commonly worshiped by people who had to risk their lives in battle, like knights or mercenaries. What meaning did wealth have in a life where no one knew whether they would live to see tomorrow?

To make matters worse, almost none of the powers granted by the Goddess of the Golden Tray were useful in battle.

A knight with no battle-related divine power? Elbridge had never even considered that.

"Don't knights usually serve the God of the Laurel Wreath or the God of the Bloodstained Spear? You know, gods who help on the battlefield···."

"Old though I may be, I'm still a proper knight. When dealing with wolves or bears, I don't need divine power."

"But there are demonic beasts."

"Even if you spend your whole life as a knight, encountering demonic beasts three times is already a lot. It doesn't make sense to give up a lifetime of wealth and abundance for just three encounters."

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Elbridge's mind.

A few days earlier, when he had dinner with an old woman who knew the name of the Order of the Rusted Shield, Elbridge had asked her something.

He had said that it was hard to understand how the Order of the Rusted Shield had suddenly declined, and asked whether something major had happened to the order.

The old woman had answered:

'Did a change like that really need some huge incident?'

Only now did Elbridge understand what she had meant.

The Order of the Rusted Shield had not fallen because a huge incident had occurred.

It had fallen because no huge incident had occurred.

This was a world in which demons had disappeared and demonic beasts had become rare.

There was no reason for believers to remain in the Order of the Rusted Shield, which symbolized indomitable will, devotion, sacrifice, and the courage to never give up until the end.

And that wasn't all.

Walter glanced around, then lowered his voice and made Elbridge an offer.

"From the looks of it, you don't seem as devout as your parents. How about switching over to our side this time? As it happens, this year we're holding an event to celebrate our goddess reaching sixty-one seats for the first time in history."

"···An event?"

"Church Transfer Bonus Benefits Event."

"···."

Even two hundred years ago, it wasn't uncommon to switch orders according to the powers you needed.

While serving as a knight and fighting on the battlefield, you would worship the God of the Laurel Wreath, who symbolized victory and glory, and after retirement, you would follow the Goddess of the Olive Tree or the Goddess of the Golden Tray, who symbolized peace and abundance.

Of course, older people sometimes called such people apostates and looked down on them.

But when Elbridge was still a snot-nosed kid, a new law was passed in the Heavenly Council, and the world changed a little.

It was a law stating that everyone had freedom of belief, and that gods were forbidden from directly or indirectly taking revenge on believers who changed orders.

Back then, Elbridge used to think the age was truly free-spirited.

But even in such a free-spirited age, there had never been a concept as frightening as a special benefits event for switching orders.

Perhaps taking Elbridge's shocked expression for hesitation and conflict, Walter's voice grew a little more coaxing.

"Think it over seriously. The Goddess of the Golden Tray didn't win sixty-one seats by gambling, did she? Besides, if someone like you, who has kept the same faith through generations, switches orders, the benefits get even bigger. For the next ten or fifteen years at least, you'll have considerable financial luck."

Elbridge's eyes trembled in panic.

Walter saw that and grinned before rising to his feet.

"Elbridge. Life is long. Think carefully before making your decision. And if a priest asks who recommended you, don't forget to say Sir Walter of the Riverford Barony···."

Walter left.

But Elbridge sat with his head bowed, lost in thought.

He had thought he would be able to adjust to the world even after spending two hundred years sealed away.

But now he wasn't so sure. Two hundred years was enough time to change far too many things at their very foundations.

Then a faint voice reached Elbridge's ears.

- Paladin Elbridge. Paladin Elbridge.

It was the Goddess of the Rusted Shield. He straightened at once.

But at the same time, he couldn't help thinking the timing was a little too convenient.

Still, Elbridge knelt and joined his hands reverently before answering in a small voice.

"Yes, Goddess."

- Your goddess clearly remembers the paladin's will, unbroken before fierce storms and through long hardship. Your goddess has no doubt that the child she cherishes most can overcome temptation with equal composure.

For anyone of faith, it was the kind of voice that could only inspire awe.

However, Elbridge had just taken a severe shock, and so he ended up voicing a rather irreverent question.

"Goddess. Don't we get something like a benefit?"

- ···.

For a moment, the goddess's voice cut off.

When it came again, it sounded a little smaller and fainter.

- Remember that just as you longed for freedom for so long, your goddess also patiently endured an unending wait. Your goddess is full of the desire to tell you a sweet story, but the situation is not right for a long conversation now, so the details can wait until Holy City Solenion···. Crackle, crackle.

"Goddess? Goddess?"

Elbridge whispered her name desperately, but no answer came back.

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