Front Paw
Front Paw
***
There is a joke, now forgotten.
If you want to become a glorious paladin, serve the God of the Laurel Wreath.
If you want to become a paladin and hunt demons and magical beasts, follow the God of the Bloody Spear.
If you want to die before becoming a paladin, go and find the Rusted Shield Goddess.
The paladins of the Order of the Rusted Shield often took on missions that were 'a little' harsher compared to the paladins of other orders, so their survival rate was also 'slightly' lower.
After all, when the paladins of other orders with similar influence numbered over two hundred, the paladins of the Order of the Rusted Shield never exceeded ten.
However, the paladins of other orders did not wonder, 'Why are there not even ten paladins in the Order of the Rusted Shield?'
Rather, they would often ask, 'How do the paladins of the Order of the Rusted Shield manage to keep their lineage from being severed while living with their lives on the line?'
There were three secrets, as Elbridge saw it.
First. A person with even slightly insufficient capabilities was never selected as an apprentice paladin.
Second. Those who were not strong all died during their time as apprentice knights.
Third. Because if they just managed to stay alive, the Rusted Shield Goddess would find a way to save the paladin, no matter what it took.
If the paladins of the Order of the Rusted Shield were the shield that protected the world, then the Rusted Shield Goddess was the shield that protected her paladins.
Therefore, Elbridge firmly believed that the Rusted Shield Goddess would resolve this predicament as well.
<><><>
As Elbridge was enveloped in the halo of light, the bleeding from his tattered arm soon stopped, the broken bones were set, and new flesh began to grow from the wound.
Not long after, when the streak of light that had shot down from the heavens faded, Elbridge's healing was already complete.
Elbridge slowly moved his shoulder and checked the condition of his right arm.
'It's still a little stiff, but it seems to be all healed.'
However, it was not a situation where Elbridge could just stop at recovering his body.
He also had to recover the holy power that had dried up in the seal. In that respect, this battle had yielded some results.
Although the god had taken the heart that contained the most fragments of the Evil God, Elbridge had been covered in the magical beast's blood in the process of defeating it.
Since the fragments of the Evil God contained in the magical beast's blood were also a type of holy power, Elbridge was able to hold holy power in his body for the first time in a long time.
Elbridge clenched his fist tightly. It was not yet up to the level of any other paladin or knight, but it was clear that he had become stronger than a moment ago.
However, far from being satisfied, Elbridge felt an even stronger thirst. This amount of holy power was merely the level of a light drizzle on parched land.
Elbridge steeled his heart.
'...Let's not get impatient. For now, I should be grateful for even this much.'
As Elbridge finished checking his physical condition, Walter spoke in admiration.
"This is the first time in my entire life I've seen such a direct and intense grace of a god. It feels as if a god is bestowing upon you alone the power that should be shared among all followers..."
"This too must be the grace of the Goddess."
On the other hand, Marcus's reaction was a little strange.
Even though he had risked his life and ridden his horse to create a decisive opportunity, Marcus fidgeted like a puppy that needed to poop.
"...Elbridge. Were you really a paladin?"
It seemed to be weighing on his mind that he had seen Elbridge as a liar when they first met. Elbridge said calmly.
"You don't need to feel sorry. I wouldn't have believed it either. I was in a sorry state, and not just any sorry state."
"Umm. Still..."
"If it really bothers you, please lend me a spare set of clothes."
The Goddess had only healed Elbridge's body; she could not restore his clothes to their original state. Thanks to that, Elbridge's upper garment was in tatters below the shoulders.
"I can give you clothes. Wait just a moment."
While Elbridge was taking off his upper garment, Marcus fumbled to take out a spare set of clothes and thought.
'The situation is a bit awkward, but it would be right to take this opportunity to ask where the temple that serves the Rusted Shield Goddess is. If I mention Sir Elbridge's name as a referrer, I should be able to convey my apology more or less...'
Thinking so, Marcus turned around.
Elbridge's upper body, covered in scars, came into view. Marcus was at a loss for words.
"..."
For paladins, knights, and mercenaries, scars were a badge of honor.
However, even from the perspective of Marcus, a mercenary, Elbridge's body had far too many scars.
It was not just that the number was large. There were numerous scars that looked like fatal wounds just by their location and size.
Therefore, Marcus's impression was not, 'Elbridge is a seasoned paladin who has overcome many battles!' but closer to, 'How is that fellow still alive?'
'What kind of fate does the Rusted Shield Goddess bestow upon her followers?'
Marcus cleanly folded up the thought of converting.
'...I should just serve the God of Sunshowers with even more sincerity.'
However, unlike Marcus, Walter was impressed upon seeing Elbridge's upper body.
"Incredible. Such scars... I will be sure to declare my support for the Rusted Shield Goddess at the end of the year."
Elbridge's eyes flashed open.
The election to decide the seats that the gods would occupy in the celestial council took place during the last five days of every year.
To support the Rusted Shield Goddess at the end of the year was, in effect, a declaration of conversion.
"Will you be alright with that?"
"The Rusted Shield Goddess saved my life through you. What's the big deal about serving the Rusted Shield Goddess?"
"Didn't you say you have a large family to support? And that you wanted your wife to live in luxury..."
"The children are all grown up, and I've already earned as much money as I need, so don't worry."
If the story had ended there, it would have been quite heartwarming and nice, but Walter's story once again began to touch on a slightly more realistic aspect.
"In the future, if you happen to meet a priest of the Order of the Rusted Shield, I will not forget to mention you as the referrer. Although I changed my faith once in the middle, I have served the God of the Golden Tray without wavering for the past thirty-odd years. You should be able to receive a considerable reward."
It was a thought he had had for a while, but Walter had a tendency to be particularly concerned about referrers.
Was the referrer benefit that impressive, or did Walter possess a kind of spiritual frugality?
"...Thank you. But you don't need to worry about the referrer. As far as I know, our order has not yet introduced a referrer system."
"In this day and age, there is no order without such a system. You should look into it. And... Sir Elbridge. How about coming with me to the Barony of Riverford?"
Elbridge shook his head.
"...I'm sorry. I must go to the Holy City Solenion now."
Walter smiled.
"I'm not asking you to settle down in the Barony of Riverford for good. I'm asking if you'd like to stop by for a moment to have a meal, since you've worked hard, and catch your breath for a day or two. The Barony of Riverford is small but prosperous. The Baron is a good man, too."
Although his desire to treat Elbridge was sincere, it seemed Walter needed a witness.
A witness who would tell the story of how just two of them, or three at most including Marcus, had defeated a magical beast.
Was it because he needed the baron's reward?
No. An old knight needs something to boast about, a new glory. Not a memory that has been chewed over hundreds of times until it is faded and tattered, but a new story to be proud of.
"Hmm..."
However, Elbridge was still not very keen on the offer. It was because he would have to go back a little on the path he had come to get to the Barony of Riverford.
Just as Elbridge was about to refuse again, Walter said.
"As a token of my gratitude, I will also give you a horse so you can ride on your way to Solenion. It's a bit old, but it's strong and gentle."
"...!"
A horse was a very expensive animal.
Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that abandoning Walter, who had even declared his conversion, and going straight to Solenion was an act that only a person with a major character flaw would do.
Moreover, was Walter not one of the only two followers (soon-to-be) of the Rusted Shield Goddess in the world?
Also, in terms of rank within the order, Walter was more than enough to be at the level of a cardinal. Though he himself was unaware of that fact.
"Of course I must go. Weren't we comrades who risked our lives and fought together?"
"Excellent. Marcus. Will you also come with me to the Barony of Riverford?"
"By any chance, could I also get a horse? Even a pack horse would be fine..."
"That's a bit..."
At Walter's firm reply, Marcus looked noticeably disappointed.
"Then that would be difficult. I must return to the mercenary guild and report the situation."
"How about postponing the report a little? Your contribution was not small, so I'd like to reward you, even if it's just a little."
"I can't follow you right now. If things go wrong, I could be accused of being a mercenary who abandoned his mission and fled... If you happen to have something to give me, you can leave it at the mercenary guild under the name of Marcus."
Marcus finished his story plainly and left.
In the end, Elbridge and Walter headed to the Barony of Riverford by themselves.
<><><>
Around evening the next day, the two arrived at the Barony of Riverford.
The Barony of Riverford was a small city. The windmill, leisurely turning on the hill as if it had no interest in the affairs of the world, was particularly impressive.
He also liked the bright expressions of the fief's residents.
The atmosphere of a fief usually follows the character of its lord. Walter's story that the Baron of Riverford was a good person did not seem to be a lie.
'It might also be because it's a peaceful era.'
In front of the modest lord's castle, Walter said to Elbridge.
"I'll go and report the mission results, so please wait here for a moment."
"Understood."
Before Elbridge could even take a brief look around the lord's castle, Walter came back out in an instant and said to him.
"Sir Elbridge. Our lord would like to treat you to dinner... Would that be alright?"
"That would be fine."
Elbridge entered the lord's castle with Walter and looked around.
Though it was called a lord's castle, it was at the level of a stone mansion with a large yard.
'The fief is prosperous, but the lord's castle is only this much... It seems the Baron of Riverford is not the type to enjoy luxury.'
As befitting a modest lord's castle, after passing the training ground and walking a little, a dining room that also served as a reception room appeared.
It was a very practical way of treating a guest.
Even if a guest was invited for a meal, it was common to have a simple conversation first and then move to the dining room.
Walter introduced Elbridge to the lord.
"My lord. I have brought Sir Elbridge."
The lord was a middle-aged man with a slightly balding head, and he had a round face and a kind-looking impression.
Next to the lord sat a boy who looked similar to him. He must be the lord's son.
Elbridge felt a little burdened by the sparkling eyes of the lord and his son.
Before Elbridge could even offer simple courtesies, the baron said, seemingly a little excited.
"I'm not a fan of rigid atmospheres myself, so please make yourself at home as if it were your own. Sir Elbridge is a great paladin, I hear?"
"You praise me too highly."
"So humble. I've watched Sir Walter since I was a child, and this is the first time I've seen him so excited while talking about someone else."
Walter, who was listening to the lord's story, replied with an awkward expression.
"...I have never in my life seen a paladin as skilled as Sir Elbridge."
"It's not easy to see Sir Walter this surprised, you know!"
"There were that many surprising things. The power of healing was also as incredible as Sir Elbridge's skill. I have read through numerous documents related to the celestial gods, but I have never heard that the Rusted Shield Goddess possessed the power of healing... I think it might even be comparable to the power of healing possessed by the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss."
Walter's knowledge was accurate in many ways.
The Rusted Shield Goddess could delay death so that a paladin's life would not be cut short, but she did not have the power to heal wounds.
So then, what about the power that healed Elbridge?
The answer was surprisingly simple. It was the power of healing bestowed not by the Rusted Shield Goddess, but by the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.
The Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss was the god who possessed the most powerful healing and recovery abilities.
At the same time, she was also known to be the god with the closest friendship with the Rusted Shield Goddess. Should one call them best friends, so to speak?
Thanks to that close friendship, the Rusted Shield Goddess came to possess a power very similar to healing. It was the power to whine to the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss and make her heal her paladin.
This was a power not recorded in any literature, but the paladins who served the Rusted Shield Goddess knew of its existence very well.
When his thoughts reached that point, Elbridge became a little worried.
Receiving one magical beast's heart and healing Elbridge's arm was a deal that could not possibly be profitable for the Goddess of Spring Rain and Moss.
Even more so since he had heard that it took much more effort than usual for a god to bestow power on a follower of another order.
'No matter how close the two Goddesses are, she must have promised to add something more as compensation...'
However, Elbridge had no way of knowing right now what kind of deal had been made in the heavens. And even if he knew, he had no way to help at the moment.
In the end, Elbridge decided to just focus on his meal.
'The taste is so good it's making my head spin.'
The dishes served by the lord did not contain any particularly high-class ingredients, but they tasted good and the portions were generous. It possessed the two most important virtues that a dish should have.
"So, at that time, I used my spear to... that thing's eye..."
"Ooh!"
While a cheerful meal was in full swing with Walter's tale of valor, the Baron of Riverford's butler entered the dining room cum reception room and said.
"My lord. Sir Eberhardt and Sir Oswald have arrived."
They were names that Walter and the merchant who had fled had mentioned briefly.
A wolf magical beast had appeared in the Viscountcy of Dickens, and the Baron of Riverford had dispatched two knights to support the Viscount Dickens.
'Since Sir Walter and I took care of the wolf magical beast, they must have come back empty-handed.'
The lord replied good-naturedly.
"They've come at a good time. Tell them to have a meal with us. And I can introduce them to Sir Elbridge."
A moment later, Sir Eberhardt and Sir Oswald entered the reception room. Chests puffed out, very triumphantly.
However, in the hand of one of the knights was a large pouch that did not suit the reception room.
The two knights paid their respects at the same time.
"We greet the lord."
"You've worked hard. Sit over there. Oh, and this is Sir Elbridge. A paladin of great skill."
The two knights glanced at Elbridge. And then let out a very small smirk.
That was all of the two's reaction towards Elbridge.
"..."
Although it was a rather rude act, the baron seemed not to have seen their behavior.
Elbridge also had no intention of questioning the two's rudeness. His own appearance was still a bit shabby.
Rather, what drew Elbridge's attention was a different sense.
The faint smell of game and blood that had been wafting since the two entered.
One of the knights, whether it was Eberhardt or Oswald, knelt on one knee before the lord.
And said.
"This is the spoils of this battle. I offer the proof of valor to the lord."
The knight said so and opened the sack.
Inside it was an animal's front paw, which must have been at least two handspans in size.
The claws, sharper than a decent dagger, were very impressive.
And, the shape of that front paw was a little familiar.
The lord asked the knight.
"What is this?"
The knight replied.
"It is the front paw of the wolf magical beast we exterminated with the knights of Viscount Dickens."
The atmosphere in the dining room turned a little chilly.