The Last Night
Elbridge woke to the sound of low murmuring the following morning.
He sat up in bed and looked around. The room was still dim, telling him it was early dawn. The holy knights of the Spring Rain and Moss Order had bestowed their healing upon him yesterday, but even divine power could not completely erase exhaustion. Under normal circumstances, he should have slept in.
Why is it so noisy?
When he glanced outside, he saw a surprising number of people already gathered despite the hour.
As Elbridge prepared to leave his bedroom, the freelance administrative priest Matilda approached him.
“You should go back inside and rest. I heard you went through a lot yesterday.”
“Matilda. Why have you come out so early? The sun hasn’t even risen properly yet.”
“I came out early because I suspected people would swarm the place. In any case, you should go back to bed today.”
“I’m fine.”
Matilda crossed her arms, her expression stern.
“Let me be clear in advance. If you step outside now, you won’t get any rest all day. You can either come out and be hounded until nightfall, or you can rest properly for the entire day. Which will it be?”
“…I’ll rest. Thank you, Matilda.”
Elbridge quietly closed the door and flopped back onto the bed.
That was when something astonishing happened.
“Elbridge. Elbridge.”
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield had delivered an oracle at the crack of dawn. While she might speak at other times, it was completely unprecedented for her to send a revelation at such an early hour. Moreover, her voice carried neither drowsiness nor haze.
Because of this, Elbridge understood instinctively.
“Goddess. You did not seek sleep last night.”
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield answered with clear pride.
“That is because an enormous number of people have offered prayers to your goddess since yesterday evening. At this rate, two seats will be easily secured and more besides.”
It seemed pleasant excitement and the urge to boast had kept her awake all night.
“Congratulations, Goddess.”
“Naturally, all of this is thanks to the outstanding performance of my head paladin. If it were up to me, I would grant you a reward, but I cannot think of a suitable method.”
“I am grateful for the thought alone, Goddess.”
“Yes. Elbridge. Sleep a little longer for now.”
Elbridge pulled the blanket over himself once more and sought sleep.
How much time had passed?
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the door. When he opened his eyes, the room was considerably brighter.
“Sir Elbridge. You have a visitor.”
It was Matilda’s voice. The guest must be important enough that she could not simply turn them away.
“Please show them in.”
As Elbridge sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep from his face, a familiar figure entered the room that served as his bedroom, office, and chapel.
It was Heinz, vice-bishop of the eastern diocese of the Golden Platter Order.
Heinz spoke.
“I heard you performed a truly remarkable feat, Sir Elbridge.”
“Seeing you come outside the temple, it appears the crowd has dispersed.”
“The people’s excitement has calmed after the demon was subdued. Thanks to that, both I and the branded residents were able to sleep peacefully.”
“I am glad.”
Had the vice-bishop truly come all the way to the slums simply to express gratitude for a good night’s sleep? Of course not.
“What of the White Hands?”
At Elbridge’s question, Vice-Bishop Heinz gave a faint smile.
“Until yesterday evening they were desperately trying to raise the mood again. They spoke of how nearly twenty holy knights died in the battle alone, and dozens more perished after being caught in the fighting… that sort of thing.”
Most of those caught in the fighting were spectators—people who had come to watch, believing nothing serious would happen. Even Elbridge could not protect every last one of them.
“They claimed that if the new year had already begun and the combat orders possessed greater power, the sacrifices could have been reduced. That we must gather more strength to support the combat orders… But the situation changed when Sir Cowin visited the Golden Platter Order.”
“Who is Sir Cowin?”
“You don’t even know your neighbor’s name?”
“Neighbor?”
“The head paladin of the Bloodied Spear Order.”
“Ah.”
Elbridge looked embarrassed.
“…It simply never came up. In any case, what brought Sir Cowin to you?”
“The Bloodied Spear Order and the Laurel Wreath Order announced they would withdraw from the negotiations. They named you as the representative of the combat orders.”
It was astonishing news.
Naming Elbridge as representative meant they would accept whatever negotiation results he produced. In other words, they would raise no objections even if he claimed every allocated seat.
Of course, several other combat orders in the slums held one seat each, and there were countless small orders with none. But they lacked the qualifications to represent the combat orders. Only the Laurel Wreath Order with its three seats and the Bloodied Spear Order with its two were the true powers of the slums.
“That leaves only our non-combat orders for the White Hands to negotiate with. Even if they incite the people to pressure us, there is nothing left for them to gain.”
Vice-Bishop Heinz’s face was bright, as though a rotten tooth had finally been pulled. It was only natural now that the persistently annoying White Hands had fallen silent.
“…So, Sir Elbridge. What conditions do you desire? Although there have been defections within the White Hands, roughly five seats appear movable.”
“How many seats can you allocate to the combat orders?”
“I intended to distribute up to three to the combat orders.”
That meant the Rusty Shield Order could gain three additional seats in the current situation. Five seats in total.
“Oh…”
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield could not hide her delight.
It was rare for a deity who had lost their seats to return to the Heavenly Assembly. Even upon a miraculous return, they almost always received only one. That was why she had gone around boasting that she would likely claim two.
But what if the Goddess of the Rusty Shield seized five seats at once and returned to the Heavenly Assembly in splendor? Five seats would make her a respectable power—roughly fifteenth in the assembly.
“Vice-Bishop, please give me a moment to consider.”
“Of course.”
Elbridge slipped out of the bedroom, stood before the door, and offered a prayer to the Goddess of the Rusty Shield.
“Goddess. What would you have me do?”
“…”
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield agonized for a long time. They say even humans write lies in their diaries. Even before her sole paladin, she could not honestly reveal her greed.
In the end, she delivered her oracle in a voice thick with reluctance.
“Your goddess does not rise and fall with mere seats. Elbridge. Do as you believe is right.”
“Understood.”
He remembered the oracle the God of the Spring Rain had given.
She said it would be fine even if I turned every combat order into an enemy.
But now he had the chance to claim three seats without making enemies of them. Had he received this offer only a short while ago, he would have endured the shame and asked for all three seats for the Rusty Shield Order.
Yet the Elbridge of today chose a different path—one more beneficial in the long run.
“I will not demand any seats.”
Vice-Bishop Heinz looked intrigued.
“It doesn’t sound as though you want nothing. Rather, it sounds like you intend to ask for something else.”
“Correct.”
“Then what do you want, Sir Elbridge?”
Elbridge looked the vice-bishop squarely in the eye and stated his condition.
“I hope the Golden Platter Order refrains from negotiating with the White Hands. Furthermore, I ask that you prevent other orders from negotiating with them as well. At least for this year. If possible, into next year and beyond.”
“That is a condition I had not considered.”
Heinz fell into thought for a long time. Yet he still seemed unable to grasp Elbridge’s true intention.
“For the Golden Platter Order, it is not a bad proposal. Year-end expenditures have grown burdensome. If we stop negotiating, many will return to us… But how does this request benefit you?”
“We can obtain votes of different value.”
“All votes have equal value, Sir Elbridge.”
Elbridge shook his head.
“They do not. They are clearly different.”
“In what way?”
“Believers gathered through payment will leave next year if no payment is offered. But believers gathered without conditions will not abandon you even in the hardest moments.”
This matched what he had told the other holy knights yesterday. Those who fight because they were promised are mercenaries. Those promised because they fight are holy knights. Those who follow because they were promised are clients. Those who are followed and then promised are believers.
Just as holy knights had their own way, the combat orders needed believers suited to them—believers who would gather strength without wavering so long as the holy knights fought in silence.
Elbridge believed it was better to protect those believers for the long term, even if it meant receiving fewer seats now, than to gain three extra seats this year only to lose them all the next.
“Foolish. If you end up with no seats at all, you will beat the ground in regret.”
Elbridge smiled.
“The demon was sealed only yesterday. A large portion of the lost votes should flow our way.”
“Those people sought a price. Do you truly believe they will remain with the order next year?”
“People say thoughts determine actions, but in many cases actions determine thoughts.”
Vice-Bishop Heinz laughed.
“Moderately wise and moderately cunning, Sir Elbridge.”
Archbishop Heinz toyed with the White Hands’ representatives in an exceedingly simple manner.
He spent the entire day pretending to negotiate desperately, then abruptly changed his attitude in the evening.
“Well. I have no desire to trade with those who know no respect.”
“We’ll make it cheaper!”
“No. This is not about the amount. It is about the attitude you have shown thus far.”
With that simple answer, Archbishop Heinz drove every representative of the White Hands away.
The representatives were thrown into confusion.
The number of believers waiting for them to bring money and designate orders was beyond counting. With no other choice, they went to the next wealthiest order after the Golden Platter—the Olive Tree Order.
“We have concluded that the Olive Tree Order would be a more reasonable partner than the Golden Platter Order.”
Yet the Olive Tree Order answered plainly.
“We do not agree.”
After being rejected by Soleneon’s two wealthiest orders, the White Hands’ representatives fell into a daze.
“What do we do now?”
“We negotiate directly with the combat orders!”
But neither the Bloodied Spear Order nor the Laurel Wreath Order would meet them.
“…”
Not a single negotiation partner remained. The sun had already set.
Members of the ‘White Hands’ began to appear, quietly asking the representatives.
“Hey. Didn’t you say you’d tell us which order to pray to before sunset?”
“That is…”
“How far have the negotiations gone?”
“…”
“What about the price you promised? You said you could at least secure five silver coins, didn’t you?”
The order they should follow had not been decided. The promised payment could not be obtained. Since it was the evening of the year’s final day, no priests were out gathering believers with offers of benefits. They would have to pledge themselves to an order with no guarantees whatsoever.
In the end, the furious crowd seized the representatives and dragged them into a dark alley.
Beneath a night sky that seemed ready to pour down stars, Elbridge lay on the temple roof and watched.
“Elbridge. Is it truly all right to leave them like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Right now, they are dragging people into the back alley.”
“When I was a child, I often played with my friends until late at night. Perhaps they are simply trying to enjoy an interesting game together?”
Despite his words, Elbridge kept his ears tuned toward the direction the people had vanished, ready to intervene at any moment.
Everyone is a little selfish. Elbridge did not consider the White Hands evil. They were simply people who were a bit more honest about their own interests.
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield noticed his heart and gave a small laugh.
“Elbridge. Your goddess has something she earnestly desires.”
It was so rare for her to make a request that Elbridge asked carefully.
“What do you desire?”
“Offer your goddess beer made with clean water and fine barley. One pint, and make sure it has no oats mixed in and no sour taste…”
Elbridge sensed deep tension in her voice.
“Goddess. Are you anxious about tonight’s outcome?”
Tonight was the final night of the year. The seats in the Heavenly Assembly would be decided, making it the day the gods grew most desperate.
The Goddess of the Rusty Shield hesitated, then answered.
“Elbridge. Your goddess is proud that you were not swayed by small immediate gains. Yet your goddess still finds those small gains flickering before her eyes…”
“Goddess. How many seats would satisfy you?”
“Two. No… truthfully, three would be better.”
“…Did you not say only this morning that two seats would leave you with nothing more to wish for?”
“I did. But now I feel I could not be fully satisfied with only two… Oh my, has it arrived? Elbridge, my most faithful paladin. It seems four pints will be needed rather than one.”
It appeared a guest had come.
Elbridge hurried to the tavern, bought an entire gallon of the finest beer, and offered it. Other believers might have been startled to see beer offered instead of oil or silk, but between a discreet archbishop and his goddess, small secrets were permitted.
Elbridge returned to the roof, sipped his beer, and waited for the new year.
How much time passed?
Ding— Ding— Ding—
The sound of bells rang out alongside hymns. A little later, children began running toward every temple clutching fluttering papers. They shouted at the top of their lungs.
“It’s out! It’s out!”
Priests emerged from each temple, handed the children a silver coin, and took the papers.
Elbridge received one as well. With a trembling heart, he read it.
1. God of the Golden Platter Order — 58 seats (-3)
2. Goddess of the Olive Tree Order — 36 seats (-1)
⋯
9. God of the Spring Rain Order — 9 seats (+1)
10. Goddess of the Spring Rain and Moss Order — 7 seats (-)
⋯
19. God of the Bloodied Spear Order — 4 seats (+2)
19. Goddess of the Rusty Shield Order — 4 seats (+4)
Elbridge rolled the paper tightly and offered a prayer.
“Goddess. Congratulations on your return to the assembly.”
Because the goddess’s drunken singing descended as oracles throughout the night, Elbridge spent the first day of the new year short on sleep.