Paladin of a Ruined Order - Chapter 74

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Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 74

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The Road

Marcus's point had been sharp.

But unlike Marcus's claim that the lake had lied, Elbridge considered the opposite possibility.

What if Marcus's most desperate wish really was the girl next door? What if Leonhardt really had ascended to heaven with the shield?

Elbridge wasn't the only one who thought that way.

Rombel glanced at Elbridge and gave a small nod, then turned to Marcus.

"Marcus. I want to ask you something. What did you long for more strongly than the girl next door?"

"Money and honor...?"

Marcus's answer only convinced Elbridge and Rombel further.

For a desperate wish, that response was far too generic and vague.

'If what we just saw wasn't a lie...'

Like the Master of the Central Magic Tower who had come down to the ground, had Leonhardt come back down after ascending, and left the shield behind then?

'Sir Leonhardt left the shield in the mountain city while the previous mayor was still alive.'

If that guess was right, it meant Leonhardt had come back down not long after ascending.

Which meant, by now, Leonhardt would have grown old and died.

Elbridge's thoughts stretched out in every direction.

Why had Leonhardt come down to the ground? What had he done once he got there?

Elbridge fidgeted with the shield.

'If I put the shield back in the lake, could I see the rest of the memory?'

As if reading Elbridge's mind, Marcus spoke up.

"Sir Elbridge. The God of Fox Rain is telling me not to do anything stupid..."

"Stupid?"

"Says if I try to sneak a look at heaven through some trick, I'll definitely pay a price for it."

Just then, an oracle came down to Elbridge too. The Goddess of the Rusted Shield.

- Elbridge. Before you do anything risky, it would be good to ask your goddess for her opinion too.

"Is Sir Leonhardt's memory something risky?"

Elbridge answered the goddess's oracle mid-conversation, but Rombel and Marcus didn't find it strange. Both of them knew well how close Elbridge and the Goddess of the Rusted Shield were.

The oracle continued.

- It isn't that I can't tell you anything about Leonhardt, it's just that you being interested in him isn't the problem. The problem is that you nearly looked into heaven without the qualification to do so.

"Qualification, meaning..."

- Only those qualified to ascend to heaven can look upon heaven.

"I see."

- You and Rombel are still better off. You've both built up achievements over a long time, so you might have been able to catch a small glimpse of heaven. But Marcus is different. If the God of Fox Rain hadn't stepped in when it did, Marcus could have been in serious trouble.

So it had been the God of Fox Rain's doing that cut off the memory forming on the water's surface.

"Then would it be alright to look at the memory again somewhere Marcus isn't present?"

- The God of Fox Rain has already done something to the Lake of Eternity. For a while, the Lake of Eternity will remain an ordinary lake with no power at all.

Then the Goddess of the Rusted Shield spoke sternly.

- And, Elbridge. Marcus being the one in the most danger doesn't mean you and Rombel were safe. Please understand how much your goddess cherishes her only paladin.

The emotion in that voice wasn't reproach or blame, but plain worry.

Elbridge felt a little ashamed.

"Understood, goddess."

- Good. I understand your curiosity about Leonhardt's path... but don't rush. Something your goddess has learned over a long life: news you long for desperately always reaches you eventually.

The oracle cut off there.

That night, in a dark room with no candle lit.

Elbridge lay on the bed, lost in thought.

He was still thinking about Leonhardt's path.

Then he heard Rombel stirring in the next bed.

Rustle.

Rombel's voice followed.

"Elbridge. I've got something I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Earlier, when you asked the lake to show your wish. The shape of a temple appeared, right?"

"It did. Why?"

"I got to thinking, that lake seems to show a clearer image the more strongly you wish for something. Like how Marcus's wish showed up earlier..."

Marcus cut in immediately.

"That was the lake showing it wrong. I loved that girl purely, I'll have you know."

"Marcus. Swear on the God of Fox Rain and answer me honestly. Do you even remember her face clearly?"

"...Damn it. I'm not the kind of man who falls in love just from a face. I loved her kind heart and her clear voice."

"Not sure about the voice, but that heart of hers sure was something."

Rombel teased him, and Marcus grumbled a bit before shutting his mouth. He'd realized talking further only cost him more.

Elbridge asked, "Anyway, why bring that up now?"

"That temple that showed up in your wish was unusually blurry. The people were blurry, the temple was blurry. Only the goddess statue was clear enough, but..."

"What are you trying to ask?"

"Elbridge. Do you actually want to rebuild your church?"

Taken the wrong way, it could have sounded like an insult, but Elbridge could hear the faint worry buried in Rombel's voice.

"Blurry or not, a wish is still a wish."

"About as blurry as the face of the girl next door Marcus used to love."

"Aa, no, Rombel-ssi. Why's that coming up again here?"

Marcus feigned outrage, and Rombel and Elbridge burst out laughing.

Once the laughter died down, Rombel went on.

"Anyway, you've given off that feeling for a long time now. Doing things because you have to, doing things because you can, that sort of..."

It wasn't wrong.

Elbridge had felt the weight of betraying people's expectations since long ago.

The church might be the same way.

The one saving grace was that the Goddess of the Rusted Shield, at least, was special to Elbridge.

"You're the odd one out, Rombel. People's wishes are usually as blurry as mine."

Elbridge said that and closed his eyes.

Three days later, Elbridge's group left the area around the Lake of Eternity.

It wasn't easy for outsiders to cross the Great Forest and leave the south, so Mayor Marcelus assigned Isalvius to guide Elbridge's group.

That worked out well for them. Isalvius was, after all, the person they were closest to in the Order of the God of Flowing Water.

There was one strange thing, though. Isalvius looked seriously gloomy.

Just a few days before, on the way to the Lake of Eternity, Isalvius had more or less recovered his spirits.

But now his expression was as dark as it had been right after the God of Flowing Water turned into a demon.

Eventually, Marcus couldn't hold back and asked.

"Isalvius-ssi. Did something happen? You look awfully serious."

Isalvius poured out the story as if he'd been waiting for the question.

"Marcus-ssi. I thought everyone in our church, like our priests and paladins, sincerely respected and deeply served the God of Flowing Water."

"Wasn't that the case?"

"I explained to Gatekeeper Marcelus what happened to the God of Flowing Water, and do you know what he said?"

"No idea."

"He said it was unfortunate, then asked what we planned to do going forward."

"...?"

Elbridge's group looked confused, so Isalvius, hands trembling with emotion, added an explanation.

"Since the Healing Authority is gone, our priests and paladins can't earn money anymore, right? He told us to think hard about how to keep the city's livelihood going. Does that even make sense?"

"Wait. Don't tell me..."

"Yes. He's telling the priests and paladins to discuss it among ourselves and find some profitable church to join. Says there's bound to be a good option out there somewhere... To them, the God of Flowing Water was just one god among many."

Isalvius was so disappointed that he choked up a little as he spoke.

Elbridge's group was appalled.

Wasn't this even more shameless than what the uncommitted voters had done at the end of last year?

At least the uncommitted voters had only treated their own faith as a bargaining chip.

They hadn't let go of their greed even in an urgent situation, but that wasn't quite the same as showing the very worst of human nature. Everyone is a little selfish, everyone puts their own interests first to some degree.

But Marcelus had put not only his own faith, but the priests' and paladins' devotion itself up for trade. Without even asking their opinion.

Rombel snapped, "And you sat there and took it? I'd have thrown a punch first."

Isalvius let out a long sigh.

"Part of me wanted to. But Marcelus isn't entirely wrong. If our priests and paladins stop earning money, won't people's lives get harder? In the end, we need to find a way..."

Marcus frowned.

"Why is it Isalvius-ssi's job to worry about the villagers' livelihood?"

"What? Well, because..."

"I've spent three days here, and I've seen the people of that city too. They looked like they were getting by well enough."

"That's because we've been earning money and putting it toward that all this time. But going forward..."

Marcus cut him off.

"No, no. There are two things I want to say. First. Isalvius-ssi, you've already done as much as you should have to. Second. Not everyone who reaches out saying they're dying, saying help me, is actually struggling."

Marcus snorted.

"I've learned one interesting thing living as a mercenary. Want to know what it is?"

"No."

"Say you've got ten mercenaries. About seven out of ten started the dangerous work claiming they had to support their family. Elderly parents, young kids, a sickly spouse... that kind of story."

"Hmm."

"About half of the ones who start out that way die or get seriously hurt within three years. Makes sense, considering they jumped in unprepared just to make big money."

"...That's unfortunate."

Marcus shook his head at Isalvius's response.

"What I want to tell you comes after that. When a mercenary dies, the other mercenaries usually pool together a little money for the family. It's not a huge amount, mind you. Enough for a family to scrape by for two weeks, maybe a month at most. Know what happens once that money runs out?"

"They end up on the street? Starve, maybe?"

Marcus waved a hand.

"Sure, that happens sometimes too. Breaks your heart just to see it. But in my experience, seven or eight out of ten manage to get by somehow. The elderly parents pick up sewing work, the sickly spouse suddenly gets back on their feet, the kids grow up fast and learn to take care of themselves."

"..."

"Isalvius-ssi. That city's people are exactly like that. Leave them be, and they'll manage on their own. Not as comfortably as before, sure, but they'll manage."

Marcus was, unusually for him, angry.

Elbridge could tell just from his expression. Marcus had seen plenty of mercenaries and plenty of families just like that.

"People say a lot of folks mistake kindness for an entitlement. But in my experience, that goes for the giver too, not just the receiver. Isalvius-ssi, aren't you mistaking devotion for an obligation? It was never your obligation."

"But the land really is poor here, that much is true."

"If the land's poor, then leave it. At least for that city's people, I can promise you this much. They'll get by fine even without you and the priests and paladins."

Elbridge thought back to what Rombel had said the night before.

The question of whether he'd only ever done things because he had to, because he could.

Elbridge still didn't know exactly how to take that. But one thing was clear. Isalvius felt like someone very similar to himself.

So Elbridge asked, "Isalvius-ssi. Is there something else you'd rather be doing?"

"...There is. To be precise, it's something that came to me recently."

"What is it?"

"If a god can turn into a demon, I want to find out whether there's a way to turn a demon back into a god."

The core the God of Flowing Water had left behind. Isalvius had sealed that core and kept it safe.

Instead of collapsing in despair, Isalvius had chosen to hold on to a hope that was nearly, maybe entirely, impossible.

Elbridge smiled.

Wasn't there something beautiful about dreaming a grand dream, even one that bordered on impossible?

Elbridge thought that Isalvius might be a step ahead of him.

"Isalvius-ssi. Leave now."

"What? But guiding all of you..."

"We'll find our way somehow, don't worry about that. But it looks to me like if you don't leave now, you'll lose your way for good."

But Isalvius shook his head.

"I can't leave right this moment."

"Why not?"

"I want to tell the priests and paladins of the church about my decision. We went through hardship together."

"There's a way to handle that too."

Elbridge pointed north.

"Go to Middlemarch, the place where all roads lead. And find the Master of the Central Magic Tower."

"I've never been to the central region. And even if I go, someone as important as a Tower Master won't agree to meet me..."

"Give our group's name at the Central Magic Tower and they'll meet with you. The Master of the Central Magic Tower will reach the priests and paladins through the southern Magic Tower. And the Master of the Central Magic Tower knows a great deal about gods and demons, so it should be a great help to you, Isalvius-ssi."

Isalvius stopped walking.

He looked north, toward where the Central Magic Tower would be.

Isalvius thought for a long while, then bowed deeply to Elbridge's group in gratitude.

"Receiving help right to the very end. I don't know how I'll repay this..."

"If your dream comes true, Isalvius-ssi, that will be more than enough repayment for me. Go now, before your heart wavers."

Isalvius set off hesitantly toward the north.

He walked a few steps, then turned back. Walked a few more steps, then turned back again.

He bowed again and again.

Elbridge's group waved to Isalvius as he went on ahead.

Someone who'd set themselves such a grand goal deserved a proper send-off.

When Isalvius finally passed out of sight, Rombel grinned.

"You gave him quite the sharp talking-to there, Marcus."