All In
The feverish excitement of the Grand Tournament that had blanketed the hillside slums began to cool after several days of relentless activity.
Viveka, seated in her chair, stretched with a satisfied expression.
“It went well, didn’t it?”
After working together these past few days, the distance between Elbridge and Viveka had narrowed considerably. They could now speak to each other without any awkwardness.
“Really? This is my first time doing missionary work, so I wouldn’t know.”
“It’s a huge success. No one expected this many people to show up.”
“Viveka. Of those who visited the temple, how many do you think will actually join the order?”
When Elbridge asked quietly, Viveka thought for a moment before answering.
“Well… even if only one in ten joins, that would be excellent.”
It was roughly the same ratio Felix had mentioned.
“Is the number of people who join usually that low?”
“People don’t come to the temple already resolved to switch orders. They don’t change their faith as easily as you might think.”
However, through the Goddess of the Rusty Shield, Elbridge had confirmed that roughly one out of every seven visitors had offered a prayer to the goddess. That was a far higher rate than Viveka anticipated.
“But that’s for normal orders. For the Rusty Shield Order, you’ll have to lower your expectations even further. Our order at least has healing powers, but… honestly, the Rusty Shield Order has virtually no useful powers in everyday life. If even one in fifteen or twenty becomes a believer, that would be a solid result.”
“Hmm.”
“Still! There’s no need to be disappointed. So many people came, after all.”
As Viveka said, the number of visitors to the Rusty Shield Order far exceeded expectations.
And among them, the success rate of missionary work was meaningfully high. In just over ten days, more than nine hundred people had offered prayers to the goddess.
Of course, the Rusty Shield Order still had a long way to go before securing seats in the Heavenly Assembly. Even so, this was enough to allow them to wield far more divine power than when they had only one or two believers.
Elbridge asked, “What about paladins? Is it normal for about one in ten paladins to switch orders?”
“I’m not sure. Paladins from other orders rarely visit our temple with the intention of switching.”
Regrettably, not a single one of the paladins who had visited the Rusty Shield Order had offered a prayer to the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.
When Elbridge rose from his seat with a bitter expression, Viveka asked, “Elbridge, where are you going?”
“I need to stop by the Magic Tower to pick up something I ordered.”
“What about the missionary work?”
“It seems like everyone who was going to come has already shown up, so we can consider this phase wrapped up for now.”
Viveka’s brown eyes sparkled. “Understood. And… Elbridge. Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”
“You’ve been a tremendous help these past few days. Thank you, Viveka.”
Elbridge offered a polite word of gratitude, but Viveka’s expression remained unsatisfied.
So he added one more thing. “…Shall I bring back some snacks on my way back?”
Viveka glared at him.
As soon as Elbridge arrived at the Magic Tower, he went looking for the dwarf Rombel.
Rombel was sweating profusely as he hammered away at a lump of iron.
“What’s this, Rombel? Is it still not finished?”
Rombel finally set down his hammer. “No. Your order was completed days ago. Why are you only showing up now?”
“I got swamped with work.”
“I thought you’d come right after the Grand Tournament ended. Were you busy recruiting believers?”
Elbridge was slightly surprised. “What? Rombel, did you come watch the tournament?”
“Of course I did. It’s one of the few pleasures I have left… Anyway, I saw everything. Your skills are still as sharp as ever.”
Rombel spoke as he handed over the items Elbridge had commissioned.
A gauntlet enchanted with a grip-strengthening spell and a breastplate enchanted with a distortion-defense spell.
The magic on the breastplate couldn’t be tested immediately, but the gauntlet’s performance could be verified right away.
Elbridge slipped on the new gauntlet, picked up a piece of wood lying around the workshop between his thumb and forefinger, and pulled.
The wood tore away without much effort.
“Excellent. It really was worth the price.”
“The enchanter put a lot of effort into it. Probably didn’t get much sleep.”
“Please thank them for me.”
While Elbridge sat in a chair, clenching and unclenching his fist, Rombel took a seat across the table.
“So? How did the believer recruitment go?”
“We gathered quite a few ordinary believers, but not a single paladin actually wanted to join the order. The Bloodied Spear Order seems to have taken in quite a few new paladins… I don’t understand why.”
Rombel laughed. “Elbridge. That’s only natural.”
“Natural?”
“The paladins who visit the Rusty Shield Order and those who visit the Bloodied Spear Order have completely different goals.”
“Different goals?”
“Exactly. The ones coming to the Rusty Shield Order are probably interested in you, not the order itself. Out of respect as a fellow paladin. Or perhaps awe.”
Elbridge felt a little disappointed.
He had gotten his hopes up over paladins who had no intention of joining the order at all.
“How is the Bloodied Spear Order any different from me?”
“Those guys won the Grand Tournament. Paladins from minor orders would rather spread their wings under the Bloodied Spear Order than continue living in poverty like this. They were planning to join them from the start.”
Elbridge let out a sigh. “If I hadn’t forfeited and had won instead, our order could have recruited new paladins too? If I had known…”
Rombel shook his head. “That wouldn’t have been the case.”
“Why not?”
“What you can show them is your individual strength, not the order’s strength as a whole. And the way you fight is even more problematic. Paladins might think you’re amazing when they see you, but they wouldn’t want to fight like you.”
Elbridge scratched the back of his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Imagine showing children a fight. If you show them disciplined, upright paladins fighting with perfect form, the kids would love it. But if they saw you fighting with holes punched through your palms and shoulders, every single one of them would burst into tears.”
“Rombel. Those people are paladins, not children.”
Rombel slammed his thick palm on the table and burst out laughing. “Haha! Elbridge, your head is still stuck two hundred years in the past. Those paladins are children.”
“Just because I’ve lived two hundred more years doesn’t make them children. They’re thirty, forty years old.”
“Elbridge. Paladins and knights grow by consuming experience, not time. If they don’t accumulate real experience, even a hundred-year-old man is nothing more than a child with a sword.”
Rombel was talking about the difference in mindset between the paladins of two hundred years ago and those of today.
The paladins of the past, who had rolled around on the battlefield and survived, had become willing to make any sacrifice to kill their enemies.
The modern paladins, who wore sparkling armor and trained in safe environments.
It was clear Rombel did not consider the latter to be true paladins.
“But… it wasn’t even that brutal of a fight. You know this, Rombel. The Rusty Shield Order never used particularly aggressive tactics.”
“I know. The Bloodied Spear and the Echoes of War were far more extreme. But what does that matter? This isn’t that era anymore, and very few people even remember those days.”
Rombel rested his chin on his short arm and continued.
“Elbridge. I know you’re impatient to recruit believers and paladins as quickly as possible. But there’s no need to rush. Soon enough, when demons appear and the world falls into chaos, people will flock to the Rusty Shield Order in droves.”
“I’m not even confident about that. Our order doesn’t have many benefits to offer believers…”
Rombel cut him off with a snort. “Benefits? Do you think anyone went to a combat order back then looking for benefits? Not a single one!”
Rombel was right.
In those days, believers of combat orders never spoke of benefits. People worshipped the gods of combat orders solely to survive.
Believers simply prayed that the gods would watch over the paladins just a little more.
Only then could the paladins of combat orders wield more divine power and hunt more demons.
It was not an era with enough leeway to distribute limited divine power to ordinary believers.
Of course, there had been non-combat orders even then.
But believers of non-combat orders could not proudly speak of their affiliation. In a world on the brink of destruction, they were often treated as shameless wretches who could not set aside their own desires.
“There’s no need to be impatient, Elbridge. Just keep doing what you do best in silence. Hunt demonic beasts and build up achievements. The order will grow naturally. It won’t be long. No, it’s not even a matter of ‘soon.’ That era is already right in front of us. Every order is rushing to order Magic Tower armor.”
“I see…”
The conversation died down, and both Elbridge and Rombel fell into their own thoughts.
Then one question rose in Elbridge’s mind.
“Rombel.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you participate in the Grand Tournament?”
Two hundred years ago, Rombel had been one of the most outstanding warriors among all dwarves.
In other words, if Rombel entered the tournament, winning would not be difficult.
It might be hard for him to face five opponents at once like Elbridge, but defeating five in succession one by one would be well within his capabilities.
Rombel froze for a moment.
“…There aren’t many dwarves in the east, so it can’t be helped. I can’t exactly enter the tournament alone, can I?”
“Other orders form teams and participate just fine. You could do the same, couldn’t you? From what I’ve seen, you go watch the tournament every time. If you’re going to be there anyway, you might as well step onto the stage.”
“I’m too busy. Unfortunately.”
“…Hmm.”
Elbridge thought, This guy is definitely hiding something.
But he decided not to press the issue.
He would likely need to ask Rombel to make more armor in the future. It would be troublesome if their relationship became awkward.
“I should get going. By the way, would it be all right if I keep using the borrowed armor a little longer?”
“Of course. I’ll take care of the aftermath, so don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks. See you later.”
After a brief farewell with Rombel, Elbridge left the Magic Tower.
Almost as if she had been waiting, the goddess’s voice rang in his mind.
Elbridge. I must deliver joyful news to you.
“What news is it?”
Just now, a new believer offered me a prayer. With this, the number of believers in our order has surpassed one thousand. No other order in the world could have increased their believers five hundredfold in just ten days. All of this is thanks to your hard work, Elbridge.
“How could this be entirely my own achievement? It is only possible because you have guided me on the right path, Goddess.”
He was about to let the matter rest there when a question suddenly crossed his mind.
“Goddess. May I ask you one thing?”
Ask me anything. Your goddess shall answer with utmost sincerity…
“Was there, by any chance, a paladin who offered you a prayer?”
There was not.
“Ah…”
Elbridge sighed. They had gathered a thousand believers, yet not a single new paladin?
It was truly regrettable news. At this rate, it felt as though only half of the recruitment effort had succeeded.
Then the Goddess of the Rusty Shield asked him,
Elbridge. Why do you look so disappointed?
“The day the demons arrive is drawing near. To think there is not a single paladin who will shine your name alongside me… As the archbishop, cardinal, and senior paladin, this is an exceedingly regrettable matter.”
Yet the Goddess of the Rusty Shield answered in a gentle voice.
Elbridge. There is no need to feel even the slightest disappointment.
“Goddess. There is no need to comfort me. This is all due to my own shortcomings…”
That is not the case. Elbridge. While watching this Grand Tournament, your goddess has pondered deeply and reached a new conclusion.
“What conclusion might that be?”
Our order does not need any new paladins. For the time being, the only paladin of our order shall be you alone, Elbridge.
“Pardon?”
Unable to comprehend the goddess’s words, Elbridge asked hesitantly.
“Two hundred years ago, I heard the archbishop say that you lamented the small number of paladins. Yet now, for what reason…”
Elbridge. As you know, the divine power your goddess can bestow is limited. However, after observing the capabilities of the other orders’ paladins during this Grand Tournament, I found not a single one worthy of note.
“…”
He had a feeling he knew where this was going.
Rather than distributing power to immature paladins, it would be far better to pour every ounce of divine power into a single, peerlessly outstanding paladin. For the future of the order, and for your safety as well.
For the first time since the dawn of creation, the Goddess of the Rusty Shield had declared that she would focus all her power on a single individual.