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Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 50

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The Most Needed Thing

When the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower pointed their staff, the mage struck by the demon was engulfed in fierce flames.

"···!"

The mage was still alive and thrashed in agony.

But the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower did not stop the spell once it had been cast. In the end, the mage suffered a little longer before going still.

Even after the mage's breathing stopped, the flames did not die down.

"If the goal was to end the mage's suffering, there were far better ways to do it. Nasty..." Marcus muttered.

Elbridge answered, "It wasn't burned to kill the mage. It was to cut off the sprout's nourishment."

Marcus looked over the corpse again.

Strangely enough, the sprout that had grown from the dead mage's body had not burned away even in the flames. It kept its original color.

But because the corpse had burned and lost almost all of its nourishment, the sprout could no longer grow as quickly as before.

"If that mage hadn't been burned completely, new flowers would have bloomed from the sprout and scattered pollen again. It would have gone on until everyone here was dead."

Marcus grimaced.

When he first saw this demon, Marcus had thought it would be easier to deal with than the distortion-type demonic beast he had seen in the mountain city. A woman with her eyes covered seemed less threatening than a giant arm of brute strength.

But that had been a mistake. It was less unnerving to face a brute-force demon than to be beaten without even understanding how it happened.

Then the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower ordered the mages, "Mages, raise the flames."

Countless mages obeyed and chanted their spells. Flames rose around the White Demon and wrapped around it.

But just as the earlier flames had failed to burn the sprout, the fire was not much of a threat to the White Demon. Likewise, the sprouts and buds the demon had created also withstood the flames.

But there was one exception. The pollen spat out by the buds could not withstand the flames.

'So they had already figured out that the pollen was causing the problem, and that fire could block it.'

The mages could not burn the demon, and the pollen could not break through the flames.

A tense stalemate developed between the mages and the demon.

Elbridge glanced back. The trio who had hired them still had not left.

"Leave."

At Elbridge's command, Milia replied, "I haven't met Imelda yet."

A name he had never heard before came out.

Only then did Elbridge realize that Milia had reached this place while following the trail of her colleague.

Paradoxically, though, Milia did not seem particularly interested in that colleague.

Her colleague's name was just an excuse. What really kept Milia there was a mage's innate curiosity. She wanted to see what kind of being the demon was, and how a mage could face it.

Elbridge said, "If you stay here, I can't be responsible for your safety."

"I know."

Elbridge frowned slightly and looked at Michel, Milia's older brother.

Michel had been the first to try to leave the scene, yet now he was standing his ground in silence as if nothing had happened.

"You too, Michel? Are you staying as well?"

"My only younger sibling says she's staying. How could I leave alone?"

"Then drag her out if you have to."

"You might not know this, but an older brother can never beat a younger sibling."

He had the nerve to joke at a time like this. As Elbridge frowned, Michel added, "There's one more reason, Mr. El. You don't intend to leave right now, do you?"

"That's right."

"Patrick and I are knights of the Magic Tower, and Milia is a mage of the Magic Tower too. Even if we're discovered hiding here, it'll probably only end in discipline. But Mr. El and Mr. Marcus are different. It won't end with a little trouble, so we'll need testimony that the two of you brought us here."

"Go wait somewhere safe and testify for us."

Michel shook his head.

"If we leave here, we may end up unable to testify even if we want to."

Michel had no obligation to guarantee Elbridge and Marcus's safety.

But he was saying he would take the risk for the two of them. Of course, about half of that was probably because Milia was stubborn.

"Mr. El. You can tell me what I should do, can't you? What should I do now?"

"Stay beside Milia with Patrick, and if the situation gets dangerous, get Milia out by any means necessary. Likewise, Milia, focus only on protecting the two people beside you. The three of you have each other's lives in your hands."

"Got it."

Marcus asked quietly, "El. Should I stay with them too?"

"Don't be absurd."

"I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"Even if you have nothing to do, stay as close to me as possible. And keep thinking about what you might be able to do."

On the surface, it looked as if Elbridge was dragging Marcus into danger irresponsibly. But Elbridge had a reason.

The God of Fox Rain was watching Marcus closely.

That cunning god would never let Marcus die for nothing, so Marcus needed to use this chance to gain as much experience as possible.

'There are plenty of allies here, and that demon and I are especially well matched. Marcus is unlikely to get a safer chance than this to observe a demon.'

After reaching that judgment, Elbridge strode forward. A tense Marcus stepped up beside him.

When the two uninvited guests, who were not even wearing armor, appeared, confusion flickered across the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower's face.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"I am Elbridge, High Paladin of the Order of the Rusted Shield from eastern Solenion. This is Marcus of the Order of the God of Fox Rain."

Marcus stiffened.

Until not long ago, he had been a nobody mercenary. And now, on a stage this large, he wasn't just setting one foot on it. He was standing dead center.

It was overwhelming, but at the same time, a little gratifying. Marcus straightened his chest before he realized it.

The Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower asked, "The Magic Tower never invited you. How did you get in here?"

From Elbridge's experience, it was better to give the details after the job was done.

So he answered rather brazenly.

"In Middlemarch, only invited paladins are allowed to hunt demons?"

"Hah."

"Please withdraw the Fire Curtain for a moment. I will cut out the demon's heart myself."

Naturally, the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower did not accept Elbridge's request.

"Over the past six incidents, we have encountered two unexpected situations. Though there were some losses, we overcame them all. We will handle this ourselves, so the uninvited guests should step aside."

"A demon is not stupid, and two successes do not guarantee a third. Don't you think it's far better to handle this yourself than to entrust everyone's lives to an uninvited guest?"

"Let me say this in advance. If you leave this to me, I can subdue that demon without a single casualty."

"I'll have to decline."

It was not an incomprehensible reaction. To them, Elbridge was simply an uninvited guest of unknown origin.

But they were in a position where they could not seal the demon without the mages' cooperation.

Elbridge took a step back and lowered his sword. It was his way of deferring to the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower's judgment.

Only then did the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower order the mages, "Begin."

Seventy to eighty percent of the flames surrounding the demon disappeared. Then, in place of the flames, seals resembling nets began appearing one after another in the air, passing through the fire and starting to envelop the demon.

Watching it, Elbridge silently admired the scene.

'The mages of old couldn't have done that.'

Just as magic and divinity repelled one another, different kinds of magic also repelled one another.

But now, different kinds of magic existed on the same level without harming one another.

And this wasn't the work of just two people, but dozens or even hundreds of mages. How much research had they poured into this moment?

He remembered what Rombel had said. Paladins and knights, once they lost their enemies, declined, but mages, who did not need enemies, made dazzling progress.

The seals that passed through the flames snared the demon.

Perhaps because of some small mistake, a few mages coughed up blood and collapsed, but most of them carried out their roles in silence.

'...At this rate, the situation might settle down even without me stepping in.'

But there was one thing the mages, focused on maintaining their spells, had failed to consider.

The demon's two legs, buried in rock.

Without anyone noticing, slender roots spread in all directions beneath the demon's feet.

And from those roots, which quietly pushed up through the ground, tiny flower buds formed.

The first person to notice them was Marcus, who had been looking around nervously.

Marcus shouted in alarm, "Look at your feet!"

Many mages lowered their heads and looked down.

Some had buds beneath their feet, and some did not.

"···!"

Their responses differed as well.

The experienced mages immediately cut off the spells they were casting and formed Fire Curtains around themselves and those nearby. But the inexperienced mages could not think quickly enough to respond.

Luck and skill.

Those two things decided life and death.

"Watch out···!"

Before the cry had even ended,

Pop.

Dozens of buds burst at once, scattering pollen.

Dozens of mages simultaneously clutched their throats.

From their mucous membranes and the tiny cuts in their skin, flesh and bone that had no business being there kept growing wildly and tearing apart.

Overhealing. That was the White Demon's most threatening ability.

Even mages capable of casting hundreds of spells had no answer once they inhaled the pollen.

The mages struggled to keep their bodies together as they swelled beyond their limits, but it was all in vain.

"···"

Invisible pollen drifted through the air. That was invisible death.

The surviving mages each wrapped their surroundings in flames and looked to one another, hoping someone would offer a solution.

But no one could.

Every mage was trapped inside their own little shelter.

With the mages' movements restricted, the White Demon regained its freedom of movement.

The White Demon sang softly and spread its slender arms.

Then buds sprouted on its snow-white shoulders and arms, vines grew and wrapped around its entire body, and tiny flowers bloomed. It looked like a statue left abandoned for centuries.

The prepared countermeasures had failed to handle the sudden turn. Panicked, the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower shouted, "Stay calm and distribute your mana. Hold out until the Master of the Central Magic Tower arrives."

But there was no confidence in the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower's voice.

They could not contact the Master of the Central Magic Tower, so there was no way to know when the Master of the Central Magic Tower would appear.

If the delay dragged on, they might only appear after everyone was dead.

At that point, Elbridge covered his nose and mouth with his left forearm and muttered, "I told you three times it wouldn't work. Honestly."

With narrowed eyes, Elbridge informed the Vice Master of the Central Magic Tower, "I will step in now. If you can spare it, cast an acceleration spell on me."

"At this point... is there a way?"

"There is."

Normally, once a situation had unraveled this badly, even Elbridge would not have a good answer.

Just surviving and escaping would already be a major victory.

But this situation was exceptional.

The White Demon and the mages were a fairly good match, but that demon and Elbridge were an even better match. So good that it felt like it could not get any better.

Still covering his nose and mouth with his left forearm, Elbridge offered a prayer.

"Goddess. Grant me your power."

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield answered at once. "Elbridge. What power do you desire?"

"Goddess. By any chance, where is the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss?"

One of the hidden powers of the Goddess of the Rusted Shield.

The summoning of the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.

"She is beside me."

"Please tell the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss to block every healing power that reaches me..."

The White Demon's most threatening ability was without question Overhealing.

And the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss possessed the strongest power related to healing.

Healing power was not limited to boosting recovery. On the contrary, blocking healing was also one of the powers the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss possessed.

The Goddess of the Rusted Shield replied, "It shall be so."

A sudden pillar of light burst up from beneath the Magic Tower and wrapped around Elbridge.

As the light washed over him, Elbridge instinctively realized that the power granted by the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss was protecting him.

Elbridge lowered the left arm that had covered his nose and mouth and leveled his sword at the demon.

The mages, Marcus, and the trio who had hired them all flinched at the sight. But unlike the others, Elbridge was unharmed.

Elbridge drew in a deep breath.

Then, giving himself over to the anger and fervor he had not felt in a long time, he declared, "I will carve out its heart."

Elbridge kicked off the ground with fierce force and charged at the demon.

But before he could even take two steps, a slightly uneasy oracle came down.

"Elbridge."

This was not yet an actual battle, only the moment before the real fighting began.

Elbridge naturally dropped to one knee and answered, "Yes, Goddess."

"Could it be that... you have nothing to ask of me...?"

Elbridge almost answered, "Yes. I don't."

But Elbridge was a faithful and thoughtful paladin, and he knew that careless remark would deeply wound the goddess's feelings.

So he prayed to her.

"Of course. What I need most is your heartfelt support, Goddess."

Then the Goddess of the Rusted Shield replied, her tone brightening.

"Stay strong, Elbridge."

Elbridge rose again and charged at the demon.

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