Paladin of a Ruined Order - Chapter 87

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

◈ Paladin of a Ruined Order

Chapter 87

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Ghost Knight

"I don't think there's much more I can do from here. If you ever need my help for something else, come find me anytime."

Vice Bishop Heinz only confirmed the situation before leaving.

It was a wise decision. Vice Bishop Heinz had no talent for physical combat, and in a fight he'd be more of a hindrance than a help.

The old knight Walter, by contrast, stayed with Elbridge's group.

"My skill isn't on your level... but I might be of some use, even a little. Wouldn't you agree?"

The next day.

Sonia gathered Elbridge's group together and spread out a map.

"This is the lord's castle."

Elbridge had assumed Sonia's map would be a rough sketch drawn from memory.

But the map in front of Sonia now was quite detailed. Made from good quality parchment, too.

"Where did you get this map?"

"It's something we took from the guard post, so you can trust it. Anyway, that's the lord's castle... and the areas hatched with charcoal are places we've already scouted. Up to here, we can move around avoiding the Ghost Knights."

Scouted was a generous word for it. In reality, it was probably places they'd gone to loot empty houses. Everyone besides Elbridge's group and Sonia had gathered here for plunder, after all.

Either way, the area Sonia and the others had finished scouting was roughly a third of the whole.

"And this is the Inner Rampart."

Unlike Riverford Barony, Dickens Viscounty had a proper Inner Rampart, big enough to spot clearly even from outside the territory.

But the Inner Rampart wasn't much of an obstacle for Elbridge's group. Given even a little something to grip or step on, they could climb it easily enough.

Elbridge pointed at two large circles drawn on the map.

"What are those circles?"

"Patrol routes the Ghost Knights walk."

Unexpectedly, the Ghost Knights each had assigned zones.

'People probably died to get this information.'

Still, Elbridge didn't feel particularly sorry for them.

People who'd gathered here chasing dreams of easy fortune should have been prepared to take on the risk that came with it.

Elbridge stared quietly at the map.

But Elbridge wasn't some genius who could memorize an unfamiliar map at a glance.

Noticing his intent, Sonia jabbed him with her elbow.

"No need to push yourself. I'll handle the navigating."

"That's a relief. Sonia. Tell me anything you know about the Ghost Knights."

"You've experienced it firsthand, so you probably already know... Ghost Knights are spirit bodies. Inside the armor, instead of flesh and blood, there's black smoke. If that smoke wraps around you, your body starts rotting. I could give you a more technical explanation, but... you don't want that, do you?"

Elbridge nodded and slowly clenched and unclenched his right hand.

The tingling sensation from before still lingered vividly in his memory.

"Setting aside the whole spirit body thing, the Ghost Knights are genuinely skilled fighters. Oh, that's not my own assessment, that's what the mercenaries said. Quite a few mercenaries came here to loot the territory too. One Ghost Knight handled four or five mercenaries without much trouble. Even when I cast enchantment magic on them."

"...Somehow it sounds like you're proud of how skilled the Ghost Knights are."

Marcus pointed that out, and Sonia laughed, a little embarrassed.

"Those Ghost Knights, I think they're the knights who used to serve under my father. The shape of their armor looked familiar."

"Hmm."

"It's a bit awkward to say myself, but the knights of our territory were the best in the region."

Elbridge looked at Walter. Walter nodded.

"The knights of Dickens Viscounty were well known. Viscount Dickens himself was a diligent knight, so the knights under him couldn't afford to slack off either."

Hearing Walter's assessment, Sonia smiled with satisfaction. It wasn't really a situation to be pleased about, and yet she was.

Maybe Walter's words had brought back memories of better times.

"Anyway, there should be five Ghost Knights. Or six, if we count my father, just in case."

Elbridge corrected her.

"No. It'll be one fewer than you think."

"Why?"

"I met your father and his knights once, in Riverford Barony. One of them died hunting a demonic beast, he told me."

"Really? Should I be glad about that or sad about it... Anyway, let's say there are four Ghost Knights. Of those, only two patrol routes have been confirmed for certain. The other two, not yet. That's why we haven't gotten inside the Inner Rampart."

"Any other hazards?"

"Haven't confirmed any."

Sonia said that, then looked at Elbridge's group with her large eyes.

"But I think it's about time we wrapped this up."

Walter asked, worry in his voice.

"Miss Sonia. Is there really a need to rush like this?"

"That priest from the Order of the Golden Tray left, didn't he? Once he reports back to his church, the situation's definitely going to change. And there's no way that change works out well for me."

An accurate judgment.

But to put it bluntly, Elbridge and Marcus didn't much care about Sonia's safety.

Now that they'd gotten acquainted, it'd be nice if she stayed unharmed, but not to the point of taking on special risk for her sake.

Sonia kept talking.

"...And from my experience, no matter how carefully you move, accidents happen in the end. And that always comes with casualties. This time won't be any different. I want to go all in and push into the lord's castle at once, once we've got as much strength gathered as possible."

But Rombel and Walter both sided with Sonia.

Rombel voiced his agreement.

"She knows a thing or two. When you're hunting a beast, you finish it in one go. Let a half-wounded beast slip away, and it just comes back smarter and meaner."

"Our arrival here now might also be the god's arrangement. I think it'd be wise not to miss the timing either."

With both of them on her side, Sonia said to Elbridge and Marcus, "Let's move tomorrow night. No objections?"

The next night. Elbridge's group and Sonia set out toward Dickens Viscounty.

Marcus asked, "So, why exactly are we moving at night? Seems like the Ghost Knights would only get stronger after dark..."

"Marcus. Don't you remember last time, when the Ghost Knight came running at the sight of a lantern? Ghost Knights have bad night vision too."

Sonia answered crisply. But Marcus grumbled a little.

"All fine and good, but you're talking pretty casually to me. Didn't you say you had no interest in being treated like noble gentry..."

Sonia feigned surprise.

"What? I just figured we were about the same age, so I've been talking to you casually. Marcus, turns out you're older than you look?"

Anyone could tell it was an empty compliment with nothing behind it.

But Marcus seemed pleased even by an empty compliment like that.

"Well, if that's the reason, can't be helped..."

"Good. Let's keep getting along, Marcus. Assuming I don't end up burned at the stake, that is."

If there was ever a noble who would've been better off born a commoner, surely it was Sonia.

Elbridge listened to Marcus and Sonia talk for a moment, then looked back.

A large group of people followed behind them. People who called themselves the Crows.

The gaze of one middle-aged man met Elbridge's.

He looked to be in his mid to late thirties. Probably close to Marcus's age.

The man spoke to Elbridge.

"I'm Bart. You said your name was Elbridge?"

"That's right."

"You're uncomfortable with us tagging along, aren't you?"

"To be honest, yes."

Bart shrugged.

"But we don't have much choice either. This might be our last shot at a peak season."

"It'll be that dangerous."

"It's not like we don't know the danger. We're doing this just to make a living."

Bart pointed north.

"My hometown's a small city over that way. Last winter, demonic beasts swept through and tore the place apart. My wife and son died in the chaos. Only my daughter and I made it out alive."

"I see."

Elbridge's reply was even, unbothered.

Bart, apparently not expecting much of a reaction, kept talking evenly anyway. Tired, worn-down people liked telling their stories to someone else.

"I left my daughter with relatives in Solenion for now. Money's tight for them, but they said they could keep her for a month or two."

"Why didn't you stay in Solenion with her, Bart?"

"I wanted to. But things aren't good there. You probably know, plenty of villages and cities are falling apart or collapsing these days. All kinds of drifters are pouring into Solenion, and there's nowhere to live, no jobs. Not even day labor work to be had."

It sounded like a bleak story on the surface. But Bart's voice was full of hope.

"But if I score big here, everything changes. I'm a brewing technician. With enough money for brewing gear and three months of living expenses, I can make a real comeback in Solenion."

A few more people came over and shared their own stories.

A tanner, a silversmith, a dyer... Most of them were in situations similar to Bart's. And similar in that they hadn't given up, that they still looked toward hope.

These weren't people simply looking to score a fortune and live idle afterward.

They were just people who needed a chance to get back on their feet. Elbridge reproached himself for his careless judgment. Judging someone else's life lightly was a foolish thing to do.

"I hope all of you make it back safely."

"We won't be much help, but we won't hold you back either."

That was far more trustworthy than any empty promise to somehow pitch in.

Elbridge took a deep breath. The group was entering Dickens Viscounty now.

Elbridge offered up a small prayer.

"Goddess."

It was a prayer offered out of worry that the Goddess of the Rusted Shield might have actually succeeded in swapping day and night.

But his worry turned out to be needless.

- Speak, Elbridge.

"I only wanted to offer a prayer of thanks to you, Goddess."

- Worry not. Your goddess watches over you even in the darkest moment...

Could anyone dress up "I swapped day and night" more convincingly than that?

It worked out fine for now, but in the long run it wasn't a good thing. The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss, or the God of Fox Rain who watched over Marcus, presumably kept a normal daily rhythm.

"Shh."

Sonia stopped walking and ducked behind a dark building. The Crows halted their movements too, as if used to this.

Sonia pointed at a main road about thirty paces away and spoke in a lowered voice.

"A Ghost Knight's going to pass through that road. Let's move once it's gone."

"When will it pass?"

"Not sure exactly. But once it passes, it usually doesn't come back for a good while."

That was the extent of Sonia's explanation.

A night where even the moonlight was faint. A silence heavier than the darkness settled over them.

People pressed their hands lightly over their mouths and noses, as if afraid the Ghost Knight might hear even their breathing.

How long had it been like that? A sound of hooves came from far off.

Clop, clop, clop.

The sound jolted Elbridge's mind awake from its slight daze.

'Is hiding here and waiting really the right call?'

Only two Ghost Knights had confirmed patrol routes.

Even assuming there were four Ghost Knights total, that left two more whose movements were unknown.

Could they slip past the gaze of those unseen two, get past the Inner Rampart, and make it inside the lord's castle?

'Not certain.'

Elbridge's goal was to confirm Viscount Dickens's condition, and if there was still an unreleased demon core, to recover it and seal it again.

Could things with Viscount Dickens be resolved quietly and peacefully?

'His daughter Sonia's here with us, but... the odds are low.'

If the viscount were in his right mind, there was no way he'd be holding out alone in an emptied territory.

And his own men had turned into Ghost Knights, hadn't they. The odds that Viscount Dickens was in a normal state were low.

'When lives are on the line, it's right to assume the worst and act accordingly. Hoping for luck is something you do only when you have no other choice.'

That meant he had to assume a fight with Viscount Dickens was coming.

And how likely was it that the Ghost Knights would step in during that fight?

'High.'

Leaving the Ghost Knights behind and moving on wasn't a wise way to avoid a fight, it was more likely a foolish way to leave trouble for later.

'Whatever we can eliminate now, we should eliminate first.'

Having made his decision quickly, Elbridge looked at Rombel. Rombel caught his gaze.

The hoofbeats were growing closer, little by little. Clop, clop, clop.

Rombel said, "Gotta clear it out, right?"

Elbridge nodded. That much was enough conversation.

Rombel gripped the axe on his back.

Marcus wore an expression that said he'd expected this. But Sonia and the Crows were different.

They stiffened, eyes wide with shock, whispering in voices dropped as low as they could go.

"What are you about to do right now...!"

"Stand back or you'll get hurt."

Rombel used his own short body as a pivot and started spinning his massive axe around and around. People flinched, shrinking back, afraid of getting cut.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-

The somewhat comical motion gradually picked up speed, until a faint sound of wind being cut through reached their ears.

Clop, clop, clop.

And the instant the Ghost Knight's shape appeared through the gap between buildings.

Rombel let go of the axe.

The massive axe flew through the air faster than a sling stone, more precisely than a skilled archer's arrow.

And.

Chak.

With a small sound, it sliced through the Ghost Knight's waist and the ghost horse's neck at the same time.

And almost simultaneously, Elbridge's powerful arms shot out from the alley.

'One.'

The Ghost Knight vanished into the darkness of the alley.